Symphony Paradise
by Leowen Dravon
Summary: Sequel to 'Gardens of Rain' Many years have passed since Sasuke's death. Naruto and Sakura continue their lives together while a unknown force threatens the peace that they worked hard to build. NaruSaku Other pairings from Gardens of Rain
1. Movement I: Prelude

**--Symphony Paradise--**

-**First Symphony-**

-First Arc-

Time seems to be always against us. It rushes and slows with the ebbing of our lives. Sometimes it seems to slow as nothing happens, holding us in perpetuated monotony. And yet sometimes it rushes us by as everything happens at once, and seemingly all at the wrong time. But, that is the source of these problems, events occurring at the wrong time, deaths on holiday, and betrayals on hoped days of joy. Everything is tangled in a mess off time and pain...what are we to do but try to push through to, as it seems, a non-existent end to a succession of pain and the web of time.

**-Movement I- **

**Prelude**

It had been 10 years. 10 years since that mission to the Valley, 10 years since they made their promises. 10 years ago they stood in a garden, lifted to the heavens as if to defy the very clouds that rained upon them. 10 years ago, he slain his best friend and sunk into darkness and she was the light that brought him back. 10 years ago they made love for the first time, and 10 years ago they started life anew, together.

They were making breakfast, as they always did. Over the years Naruto had managed to learn how to make buttered toast without burning it, but that was about it. In fact, very little had changed since those days. Granted the couple had grown older, stronger, but their relationship did not. They had talked about their apparent concrete relationship before, but both had agreed that in the ever changing lives on ninja, sometimes the only thing that maintained their sanity was in fact, something concrete and unchanging. In a world of death and pain, sometimes the only thing that gets you through the day is the guarantee of a warm embrace in a rooftop garden when you return home.

Yeah, home. The thought still brought butterflies to Sakura's stomach even though it had been five years since the wedding.

_23. That was how old she was today, the day of her wedding. "Oh my god oh my god! I look terrible!" Sakura wailed. Ino rolled her eyes, Sakura had grown a reputation for keeping a level head even on the most dangerous of missions, and here she was freaking out over a simple wedding. Ino's wedding had been short and sweet, granted she did have a minor fit at the dress shop when she realized she had gained 50 pounds. Nonetheless the prospect of fat, guilt free sex with Choji after her wedding overtook her pride and she settled for several dress sizes higher than expected._

"_On stop crying!" the blond complained, grabbing for the nearest cloth to dab away Sakura's tears in an attempt to save her makeup. "You look beautiful and you know it, hell you're the one who managed to keep your perfect figure, I guess all that dieting when we were yonger was pointless huh?"_

_Sakura's tears stopped as she struggled to stifle her laughter. It was true that Sakura had given up her obsessive dieting soon after she started dating Naruto. In actuality, the real reason she didn't gain any weight from the extra calories was the extra exercise she got from her and Naruto's newly found libido. _

"_We're ready to go Sakura!" Hinata called from the doorway._

"_Don't worry, you look beautiful, you know he always thinks you're beautiful." Ino said reassuringly, putting the last pin in Sakura's hair. "I have to go now, Lee will take care of the rest!" she called as she dashed out the door after Hinata._

_Normally the bride's father would walk his daughter to the alter, but Sakura's parents had died a year before in a horrible fire. It made this day that much more difficult for Sakura, knowing that even with all the training the village had to offer, she had been unable to save her parent's lives. Tears started to well up in her eyes, luckily a warm hand on her shoulder brought her back to her senses._

"_Sakura, we should go, wouldn't want to keep him waiting now would we?" Lee was sporting his green blazer, as expected, with matching scarf wrapped about his neck. He had become more…effeminate, if that was even possible, over the years. Still, Lee remained a valuable friend and had gladly offered to walk Sakura down the aisle at her wedding. "You look positively fabulous!" he exclaimed, holding out his thumbs-up pose._

_Sakura's eye twitched but she took his hand anyways, "Thank you Lee, yes, let's go." Her heart and breath seemed to stop as the white doors opened, light streaming into the preparation room. The light was blinding but as the white glow faded from her eyes, the watchful eyes from hundreds of wedding guests turned to look at her. Sakura shrunk back bashfully until she saw his eyes. God those sapphire eyes. Naruto stood next to the altar, handsome as ever, clad in a fit suit. It was one of the few times Naruto had dressed completely formal and he looked incredible. _

"_Sakura," Lee whispered._

_Yes. She gripped Lee's arm and took the first step towards Naruto._

Lost in her daydream, she hardly noticed the warm hands that had crept around her waist. Fingertips dances across her skin, gently lifting the bottom of her shirt, toying around her naval. A happy groan danced across her lips, "Naruto..". Strong palms gripped her bare breasts beneath shirt, a tongue dancing around the edge of her ear. Sakura let out a sigh and smiled, few things had changed since those many years ago, and yes, even the sex was still mind-blowing.

Sakura ground her hips back against Naruto's, her ass grinding through the thing fabric of her nightgown against Naruto's bulging pants. Dropping the whisk into the bowl of eggs, Sakura held onto the counter for support as her lover's actions made her increasingly weak in the knees. His tongue skimmed the pale skin on the side of her neck as his fingers greedily toyed and played with her breasts. Gasping she tossed her head, looking over her shoulder at the sapphire oceans that hungrily looked back. They stood like that, heaving and grinding their bodies together, but it was not until his hand breached the barrier of her panties that her lips lunged back, ravaging his, begging, pleading for more. The boy hated to disappoint and answered by letting his fingers slip past her already wet slit.

Naruto always focused more on pleasing Sakura and less on his own desires, and thus had grown very experienced in the art of pleasuring a woman. Nonetheless Sakura tried her best to return the favor by making the experience as satisfying for him as he made it for her. Unable to completely quit her grip on the counter, she managed to let go with one hand and slip it around to grab his muscular ass. She let the flesh heave in her hand as she pushed his hips towards her while she pushed back with her own. Her hips felt his solid member sandwiched between her ass and hand, aggressively grinding up and down. He simply took this as provocation and is response, his fingers slipped into Sakura's body, his thumb finding her clit almost instantly. Waves of pleasure ripped through ever vein, her teeth biting down on his lower lip, the faint taste of blood slipping across her tongue. Naruto growled and ravaged her sex with his fingers; they slipped further in, rubbing the flesh between his thumb and fingers. With this, Sakura knew she needed more, something more than just the strong, dexterous hands of a ninja, and of course, Naruto knew this as well. He retracted his hand, not letting a single drop of her fluids spill before pushing them past his own lips. Sakura's unique taste mixed with the blood from his lip was intoxicating, spurring his passion even more.

A faint grin on his face, Naruto eased the quivering Sakura over, her hands resting on the counter once again, ass sticking further out. A devious thought overcame the blond and her fell to his knees, pulling the fabric of her panties to the side, he let a warm breath of air pass his lips, falling upon the pink, wet flesh in front of him.

"Naruto, what are you do…oh…" Sakura moaned, Naruto pushing his lips against her exposed sex. His fingers found their place as well, working with this tongue, teeth, and lips, tugging, pulling, and ravaging her womanhood. He knew this would drive her mad and he would pay for it soon enough, but the desire to tease his lover was far stronger. His face worked against her bucking hips, lapping up the sweet and bitter juice that flowed from her body. He dare not miss a single drop, as this fruit was rare, for she rarely allowed him this treat before she simple took him completely. Nonetheless her moans convinced him to do as she asked, so as he stood his pants fell back to the ground.

The two both gasped, moaning in pleasure as Naruto and Sakura's sexes became one, Sakura bent over the kitchen counter, her ass in Naruto's able hands. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, looking lovingly into the eyes of the man behind her, her lover, her husband. His flesh tugged at her inside, sliding out gracefully as her fluids slipped out. Sweet ecstacy blossomed from her lips, every thrust, every hot breath and droplet of sweat that fell upon her back, every sensation was a fire that burned as brightly in her body and soul as it did the first time they had ever made love. With the steady flow of pleasure washing over her body, Sakura straitened her legs, presenting herself to the blond, his pace increasing as the pleasure began to consume him.

Pulling out, Naruto effortlessly lifted Sakura's petite frame, sitting her upon the kitchen counter. Sakura bit her lip in anticipation, spreading her legs and easing off what was left of her clothing. Naruto took a deep breath, Sakura complaining about the lack of flesh inside her sex. The blond gladly granted his lovers wish, guiding his length into her, the erotic sound of their fluids mixing filling the air. His hands found the soft skin of her inner thighs, his lips tugged at her neck, and his body danced against hers. Fingers laced through his hair, Sakura pulled Naruto's head into her chest, her toe curling, back arched and head thrown back, gasping with every thrust.

Sakura had always made it a goal to finish anything her lover started, and this morning session was no exception. Sakura knew her man was close and with that in mind, wrapped her legs around his waist. Pushing herself from the counter, she and Naruto feel to the floor with Naruto on his back and Sakura straddling his sweat covered body. Sakura held Naruto's hands above his head with her superior strength. With frantic and firey passion, she ground her hips against his, riding, rocking, letting his manhood drive in and out of her body, deep and hard.

She knew Naruto would never admit it, but he never allowed himself to orgasm before her, probably advice from Kiba or Shikamaru, it didn't matter, Naruto and Sakura always came together. Nonetheless, she could tell Naruto was struggling against her assault as he bucked against her. She too was nearing her limit, quickening her pace, and she felt the wave coming.

With a crash, Sakura's finger dug into Naruto's wrists, but he hardly noticed the pain. His entire body thrashed, hot fluids gushing into his lover's body. Sakura's womanhood contracted, pulling Naruto deeper and holding him, drinking up all that he offered. The two gripped each other, stiff with the crash of sensation. It was a seeming eternity before they both collapsed onto each other, sweaty and exhausted.

She loved how his hair felt in her hand, diving into the golden locks, letting gossamer strands slide smoothly against the skin between her fingers. The two lounged on the couch, Naruto's head in Sakura's lap, chewing the last bit of breakfast. With a final gulp, he brushed the remaining crumbs off his base chest and turned his head, nuzzling into Sakura's exposed belly. He turned back, gazing up at Sakura's naked form and face, "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are, especially when you're naked?"

A raised eyebrow, "You tell me that every day, and remind me of it every night" she said with a smirk. With a sigh they both relaxed, letting their eyes close to enjoy the remaining moments of the afterglow. It was a bittersweet sensation though, just like every time before it.

"_Damnit! I need to see her!"_

_Everything had gone horribly wrong. The intel on the mission had been completely off; when they had arrived, there was a force ten times stronger than they had been told. Naruto was lucky enough to grab a mangled Sakura and escape with most of his limbs intact. It wasn't until Naruto had made it back to the Leaf Village that he realized how badly damaged Sakura's abdomen really was. If she had hesitated, and dodged even a fraction of a second later, the sword would have cleaved her in half. Instead it only managed to finish half of the job. By the time he made it to the hospital, Naruto was sobbing, his tears mixing with Sakura's blood. Tsunade took one look and snatched her pupil away. _

"_Tsnade, We…I…" he stammered._

"_Explain later" she ordered over her shoulder at a weeping Naruto as she rushed Sakura to the closest operating room. "Out!" she screamed._

"_But we're in the middle of an operation…"_

_  
"Is he dieing?"_

"…_No…"_

"_OUT!"_

_It was several more hours in the waiting room before Naruto finally lost it._

"_Naruto! She's in surgery! Besides you shouldn't even be moving around with your arm like that!"_

"_This is nothing! I need to see that she's going to be alright!" Pain._

"_See? You're lucky that arm is still attached, now sit down!"_

_Agony. _

_A sound of a door opening and Naruto's head snapped in that direction. Shizune walked out, her arms covered in blood that was no doubt Sakura's._

"_What happened? Is she ok?!" the blond demanded. _

_Shizune looked away uncomfortably. "Sakura is stable and alive, barely, but still alive."_

_Naruto fell to his knees. Relief. "When can I see Sakura? Where's Tsunade?"_

_Shizune looked back at Naruto, "Naruto, Tsunade was determined to save Sakura's life, and pushed herself past her limit. She almost died in the operating room, at the moment shes at the same status as Sakura… she may have caused serious and permanent damage to herself..."_

Naruto's face crumpled, these were hard memories to face, not matter how many times he went through it.

_Naruto sat by Sakura's bedside, it had been over a month since the surgery, though Sakura had only just woken up in the past week. Naruto had not left that room save a handful of times in a month, and much to his dismay, the first words out of his lover's mouth were "…You smell terrible…"_

"_God damnit I hate this thing!" came a voice from the other side of the door. Tsunade had also survived the ordeal, but at a cost. She had became paralyzed from the waist down due to extensive chakra-system damage, and now relied on a wheel chair to get around. Finally she managed to ram the door open and wheeled into the room._

"_Sakura…Naruto… there is something we need to talk about. I would have done this earlier, but I was unfortunately held up from the aftermath of what happened as well."_

_Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes, "I am so sorry for what happened, I.."_

"_Oh shut up, your life is more important than the legs of on old woman like me." Tsunade snapped, "Besides, this is more important than unnecessary apologies." She cleared her throat, "Honestly, I'm not sure how you're still alive, you should have died on the way to the hospital; there was just too much damage. But for whatever reason you survived the trip here, and the surgery, perhaps you're better at playing dice with Death than I am. Nonetheless, as I said there was extensive damage…we were able to repair the essentials, at least enough to keep you alive long enough for your body to take care of the rest. Unfortunately there were a few things we were unable to save. One of your ovaries was completely destroyed, and your uterus and second ovary were severely damaged. There is a very good chance that you will be unable to bear children for the rest of your life."_

Naruto cried harder than Sakura, and even now, Sakura knew he struggled to hold the tears back. Sakura had relapsed into a spurt of depression, which wasn't helped by the fact that Naruto was depressed as well. Still, he made an effort to go on missions, and saved as much money as the two could afford. They both brought in enough money to live wealthy lives, but Naruto insisted in living humbly. Sakura didn't mind, but whenever she asked Naruto about his insistence on all the saved money, he would simply reply "In case Tsunade was wrong."

They of course, kept trying, despite the near impossible odds and complete lack of success. Most men would consider all the "trying" to be a wonderful thing, but Naruto thought otherwise. She could see how pained his face looked when her period came, not because of the bitching, but because he knew a child would not be coming.

Sakura felt a tear his her inner leg, and she knew he was thinking about the same thing. Sakura sighed, Naruto's tears always brought hers. Sakura stroked the massive scar that ran across her abdomen, Naruto still trying to suppress his tears.

Some scars never fade.


	2. Movement II: Scherzo

The recalling of memories is one of the mot chaotic things our minds can do. And every time we bring back those images from the past, a little more of it slips away. By the time we realize that our childhood is slipping away, it's already too late. Nonetheless we hang on, gripping and pulling with all our might to retain our past until out hands are bloodied with out own pain and anguish. Time as it seems, its more certain than life, in that it continues to slip away from our minds, long before our bodies slip away from this world and because of this our past will die a thousand time before we do.

**-Movement II- **

**Scherzo**

Shikamaru sat at a small table at a local café, pressing his fingers into his eyes, momentarily relieving the pressing migraine that was ravaging his head. A barely lit cigarette hung from his lips, the burning tip nearing his dry lips. Despite his best efforts, Shikamaru could not push the thought of The Word out of his mind. Yes, The Word. It was amazing how a single word could change everything. A single word could change a life forever. A single word could take a man and deliver him to total and utter ruin.

"Daddy!" called the little girl running towards Shikamaru.

God he hated the word. He had promised her one child. He promised ONE child, to appease her so she would stop complaining, and what happens when she gets pregnant? Is it with ONE child? No, not quite.

--

"_What do you mean five?"_

"_Five, as in five children, Temari is going to have quintuplets. Congratulations! Oh and they're all girls." proclaimed a cheerful Ino._

"_No" There couldn't be five, he didn't agree to five. "We said just one child, how are there five?" Shikamaru was baffled, all logic gone out the window._

"_Um excuse me? You should be overjoyed that you get five children from me, because chances are they'll take after their mother and grow up to be beautiful and strong!" roared Temari, Ino making her quick escape out the door. _

_Shikamaru's eyes were tearing up. "You're crying out of joy, right?!" his wife demanded._

_Five Children. Just Like their mother. This was beyond troublesome._

_--_

"Daddy! Daddy! Pay attention to! I want a new balloon, NOW!" demanded the 1/5 replica of Temari that was tugging at Shikamaru's pant leg. He just stared at her. "I SAID I WANT A NEW ONE!" she screamed again, winning the stern looks from several bystanders.

"What's wrong with that one?" he said raising an eyebrow.

"Uhg, do I have to explain everything to you? What color is the ribbon in my hair?"

"…Blue"

"And what color is the balloon?"

"…Blue"

"No! It's royal blue! I can't have a blue ribbon and a royal blue balloon! Mommy says I always have to match!"

"You know, I wonder if her mother was like when she was 6." Remarked Kiba as he plopped down in the chair next to Shikamaru.

The Shadow Ninja rolled his eyes, "You have no idea. What are you doing here?"

"Oh well Hinata wanted ice cream so we stopped by here on the way back home. That kid there was cause quite the commotion, what's her name again?"

"My name is Selene, and you smell like a dog!" remarked the little girl that was flailing in Shikamaru's arms.

"What did you say to me?!" erupted the dog ninja.

"How many times have I told you, Do not smoke around the children! Put it out right now!" stormed a very furious Temari. Attempting to avoid another fight and stop the one that was already waging between Kiba and the 6 year old, Shikamaru dropped the remains of his cigarette to the ground with a "Yes dear…" He then quickly pulled Selene away from Kiba and shoved her into her mother's arms. "She needs you." He groaned and turned back to Kiba before Temari could complain.

After the blond stormed off, Kiba let out a whistle, "Well I'm not sure who has you wrapped around their finger tighter, Temari or that kid of yours."

"Selene is the nicest out of the 6 of them…"

Kiba just shook his head, "As far as I'm concerned, the man should be the head of the household, and not let the woman push him around and tell him what to do. You've just gotten soft over the years."

Obviously he had never spent any really time around Temari.

It was then that Hinata came up behind Kiba, her teeth finding his ear and biting down hard. "Come on lets go, you promised we could do it again after lunch!"

Kiba's eyes rolled into the back of his head as if he were trying to look at the beauty behind him. Shikamaru had to admit that Hinata had grown even more attractive over the past ten years or so, and now Kiba was becoming the number one enemy of the remaining single males in their age group. "I'll…be there in a second baby…"

"You better, you always says 'It's the man's job to wait on every need of the woman' right?" she smirked heading off again. Shikamaru rolled his eyes again, yeah, head of the household his ass.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take it. At least 3 times a day for the last 10 years? One time I tried faking a broken leg so I could get a break, she thought it was kinky."

A broken leg? Of all the ailments Kiba could fake and he chose that? "Why don't you just tell her no?"

"Because she bites..."

"I thought you liked that."

"I do, that's why I can't tell her no."

"Women are…"

"Troublesome I know. I know, believe me. Well I better get going, otherwise she'll insist on the dog collar again."

Shikamaru just gave Kiba a blank stare, "...Too Much Information." But Kiba had already run off after his girlfriend.

He looked over at Temari who was picking through the stands at the adjacent market, looking for ever more expensive jewelry. She was no doubt complaining that the quality of the gems were inferior to the jewels that Suna produced. Still she would buy them anyways and hand over coin after coin. She still surprised him on how much money she could physically spend in a day. Luckily Shikamaru had been appointed, against his will, to be the Hokage's new assistant on the Hokage's personal request, a job that paid much higher than most. He was told that he was replacing the old assistant due to his recent success in the field, but he was pretty sure it was because he didn't bitch as much as his predecessor. Checking his watch, the young man let out a groan. Oh how he hated this thing, it was a blatant reminder of all the troublesome things he had to endure on a daily basis. Nonetheless he was 2 hours late for work and he'd probably get in trouble if he didn't show up for the 3rd day in a row. Dragging himself from the chair, he trudged over to his wife and kids who were terrorizing the market.

"I'm heading off to work now…"

"You better not go out drinking afterwards! I'm not putting these kids to bed by myself again!"

"You never put the kids to bed."

"Hmm? What was that?"

"Yes dear..." he called over his shoulder walking away from the potential fight. At this rate, by the end of the day, he was defiantly going to need that drink.

Within minutes, Shikamaru was pushing open the doors to the Hokage's office. "Sorry I'm la…" but the office was empty. A raised eyebrow followed by a quick search of the room proved that the Hokage was nowhere to be found. With a shrug, he slumped down into the large padded chair, propping his feet on the desk, and looking out the adjacent window. Just as his eyes began to close and carry him to sleep a voice called from outside the window.

"Sorry I'm late, funny story, see I feel into this well and there was a beautiful woman and then…" started Kakashi, now climbing through the open window.

"It's alright Hokage-sama, Sorry for not showing up for the past couple of days."

"Oh? I wasn't here either, the well you see…" Kakashi chuckled.

"So Anko tied you up for a couple days again?" Shikamaru replied, a glimmer of humor on his voice.

"I won't ask how you know that, but that woman is incredible with knots…"

Shikamaru tried not to envision the aged Kakashi in any sort of sexual situation, though the effort brought about the opposite effect. Shikamaru dug his fingers into his eyes again in an attempt to drive the image from his mind.

It had been about ten years since he had accidentally overheard a conversation with the previous Hokage and Shizune. The two had forgotten to close the window in the Hokage's office and with Shikamaru's old office next door and his window open, he could clearly hear the conversation next door. He had to reason to eavesdrop, but felt it would be more interesting and required less effort than his current work.

--

"_Shizune," she sighed, "I think it's time." Tsunade said softly._

_Shizune replied, "I had a feeling. Do you mean…?"_

"_No…not that, not yet at least. I had hoped it wouldn't come to this but I don't seem to have a choice at this point… please go get Kakashi."_

"_Of course Hokage-sama"_

_Within minutes, the familiar voice of Kakashi could be heard in the Tsunade's office._

"_What can I do for you Hokage-sama?"_

"_I think it's time to choose my successor Kakashi."_

"_Then why did you call me here? Do you want me to go find him?"_

"_It's too soon for him, and I am no longer able to continue. I have a favor to ask..."_

"_Do I have a choice?"_

"_Not really."_

"_Well then, I accept."_

"_I'm glad you understand."_

--

And that had been it. Two weeks later, Kakashi was vowed in as the 6th Hokage. Shikamaru distinctively remembered Naruto congratulating Kakashi, though his voice was laced with disappointment. If only he knew.

Kakashi let out a deep sigh, "Do you want to do any work today?"

Shikamaru looked over from his new seat in the chair across the room, "Not really."

"Good," The hokage replied pulling out his copy of Make Out Tactics Vol. XXIII, "Neither do I."

Just as the assistants eyes were closing, "Kakashi-sensei!" screamed Naruto as he crashed through the doors.

Shikamaru groaned, "Speak of the devil." he murmured.

"Naruto, you know I've been Hokage for over ten years now, I would have hoped you would have figured that out by now," groaned Kakashi.

The blond paid no heed, "So what kinds of missions are available today?"

"Well…" started Shikamaru glancing over at a file that was sitting on the table near him, "Looks like the only thing we have left is a B rank mission."

"What?! Just a B rank? Don't you have something more exciting? All of these B rank missions are getting boring."

Shikamaru stared at the blond, was he serious?

"Naruto, you know there haven't been a lot of missions lately. Seems the nations have been having good times and the need for ninjas has diminished. I suppose that's good for the nations, though not so much for our bank accounts. Still, don't you think that you've set your standards a little high? I remember a time when you would cry out in joy to get a rank B mission."

"Well what do you expect, a ninja of my caliber should expect to face harder and harder challenges!" flashing his signature grin.

Kakashi could only smile and shake his head. Some things never change. "Well then, I have a special, ultra challenging mission for you. I can't tell you to details until after you accept. Are you interested?"

"You bet! Uzimaki Naruto is ready for anything!"

Hah, we'll see about that. "INO!" roared Kakashi. A second later Ino stumbled in through the door.

"Oh hello Hokage-sama, I was just walking by when you called my name and I just stumbled in! Funny that huh?" she stammered, rubbing the back of her head.

"More like listening in…" chuckled Shikamaru.

"Well it's not like I can sit back and expect you to handle things after replacing me! I was doing a perfectly good job, and then they tell me I'm being transferred back to the hospital! And who do they replace me with? The laziest ninja in the whole village! At this rate, nothing will get done! Why with me you wouldn't …"

"Ino! If I let you work here in your free time, will you shut up?" moaned Kakashi

"Only if you get ri…"

"I'm not getting rid of Shikamaru."

"….Fine. What do you need help with?"

"Here," he pushed a sealed letter into Ino's hands, "This is Naruto's mission details. Read over them and escort him to the location and explain what he needs to do."

Ino's eyes darted across the page before immediately bursting into laughter, "Are you serious?!"

"Absolutely. Please escort him to the location now."

Naruto was now violently curious but despite his best efforts, Ino kept the paper away from his prying eyes. "Come now, wouldn't want to spoil the surprise!" she giggled, dashing out of the room, Naruto in hot pursuit.

When the doors shut Shikamaru looked over at Kakashi who was already pulling out his book again. "You're not really going to let her work here again are you? I don't think I could take all the noise."

"Nor can I, don't worry, I'll see that she doesn't have any free time."

"So what exactly was that 'special mission' you gave Naruto?"

"Oh a test, lets see how he'll handle it, might come in handy for him later on."

"You didn't really answer my question."

"Oh, he's going to be a substitute teacher for the day."

"You know that going to be a total disaster right?"

"Probably."

"Hm I should go check on him…after my nap."

"Good idea," nodded Kakashi, shoving his nose back in his book.

--

I had been over an hour since Naruto had run off to his teaching job. Shikamaru had been planning on sleeping longer but Ino had ducked in on her way back to the hospital. Apparently Naruto seemed freakishly excited about the whole idea and it was well known that things never went well when an overly excited Naruto. Ino, who was continently too busy, complained until Kakashi ordered Shikamaru to go check on Naruto.

As he trudged through the streets towards the Academy, he passed by Naruto's favorite ramen stand. The boy treated the place as if it were heaven on earth, practically worshipping the food they served there as if it were the nectar of the gods. Then again it must be working somehow, as Naruto had become well known for his abilities in battle. Granted things never went according to plan, as Naruto's tactics were considered random at best, but usually just insane. Nonetheless he got the job done, even if his methods were unorthodox. Still it was nice to see, that Naruto, a boy who used to always talk about being recognized by the rest of the village, had earned himself a place of respect in their hearts.

"Gimme another!" roared an all too familiar voice from the ramen stand.

Then again, he wasn't always the most responsible ninja…

Shikamaru made his way over the stand, and when he pulled the curtain back, sure enough, Naruto was lounging back, waiting for his next bowl of ramen to arrive.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?"

"Well what else would I be doing? I'm eating ramen."

"But weren't you supposed to be substituting at the academy?"

"Oh I already finished there, it was easy!"

"But you were only there for an hour; classes don't end until 4…"

"Well after I taught them how to just the shadow clone jutsu, I figured that was enough for a while, so I left and got lunch for myself!"

"Wait, you taught a bunch of 10 year olds how to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu, in an hour?"

"Yep! Aren't I the greatest teacher ever? Don't worry though; I gave them all candy to keep them occupied until I got back. I even left a couple clones there myself, just in case."

Shikamaru grabbed Naruto by the arm and hoisted him out of his seat. "You left a classroom full of bored, 10 year old ninjas, wired on sugar, after you taught them to make clones of themselves? Are you out of your mind?!"

"Relax buddy, how much damage can a bunch of 10 year olds really do?"

Shikamaru lowered his eyes, "You, have NO idea. We need to hurry while there's still something left of that school."

--

Within minutes they were dashing down the hall where the classroom was. As they reached for the door handle, the door suddenly slid open and a Naruto clone fell out followed by the screams and laughter of a classroom that was obviously filled to the brim with children. A panicked look on the clone's face, he reached for the two, begging for help but was quickly dragged back into the room. His fingers left marks in the wood flooring as he begged for mercy, the screams of laughing children grew louder as the clone disappeared from sight.

"Ok Naruto, we need to think about how we're going to handle this situation. You have to realize the children are far more dangerous than any foe you'll ever face. Do you understand Naruto?"

The blond shrugged, "How hard can it be?" as he dashed into the room.

"Naruto wait…" Shikamaru let out a sigh, "maybe its good he doesn't have any kids, I would worry that he wouldn't be able to take care of them." He shrugged and followed Naruto's lead through the classroom door.

Naruto was standing in front of the chalkboard, arms folded. The clones here tied up and hanging from the ceiling. The class of 30 had grown to a class of 90, and the whole group was dancing around in a circle under the suspended clones.

"Oye you!" called Naruto from the front of the room. The children turned around hungrily, "You guys wanna play a game?" this suggestion was taken very well and the room erupted with cheers of approval. "Alright then, there's a game I JUST thought up, which means you guys are the first to play it in the entire world! Pretty cool huh? Its called Shadow Clone Tag! The goal is to find the real version of everyone else, so if your clones get tagged they'll just disappear, but if you get tagged, you have to sit down till the end of the game. Last person standing is the winner, everyone understand?"

The children needed no more explanation and dove at each other with sugar induced ferocity. Within minutes all of the children were sitting on the ground, their clones gone, and the room silent. The last student was doing his victory dance when Naruto bopped him on the top of the head, "Hey, I've got clones too, and it looks like I'm the last one left. Sorry kid I win." The student let out an aww as he dropped to the ground, defeated.

With everyone tired out, Naruto slipped into the chair that was positioned at the teacher's desk. "Well everyone, that was fun. How about I let you go early today, but don't tell your teacher ok? Otherwise I'll get in trouble and they wont let me teach you guys again alright?"

"Aww, do we have to go? You're so much more fun than our other teacher!" complained the children.

"I'll come back, I promise. But right now I have to go back to my beautiful wife. She's quite the babe you know." He said with a smirk, making kissy faces.

All the children replied with, "Eeeeewwwww, gross!"

Naruto laughed, "Besides, I'm gonna be Hokage someday, so I need to train too!"

"Really? You'll be the best hokage ever! Make sure you come back and visit us when you become Hokage ok?" remarked several children.

Naruto smile, obviously flattered, "You know it! Alright everyone, go out and have fun while you still can."

As the room of children emptied, only Shikamaru and Naruto remained. The room was a mess; desks and chairs overturned, half eaten candy littered the ground, and Naruto's clones were still hanging from the ceiling. Naruto made several more clones that quickly went to work, cleaning up the room and returning it to its former state. Shikamaru leaned up against the nearby wall and lit a cigarette. "You know, if you work those clones too much they're going to turn against you."

Naruto let out a laugh, "They don't mind as long as I eat enough ramen." With that said the clones turn around and gave toothy grins before going back to their work.

Shaking his head, Shikamaru chucked, "I gotta hand it to you, you surprised me, I didn't think you could handle kids, but you did a damn good job back there."

"Well its good practice for when I become a dad you know?"

Shikamaru looked down. It was fairly common knowledge that Sakura had become, more or less, sterile. Still Naruto had never strayed from his hope of being a father some day. His over confidence was, awkward at best around others who didn't want to give him the flat out truth of the situation. Quickly changing the subject, Shikamaru replied, "Well if its practice you want, you're always welcome to baby-sit my kids anytime you want."

Naruto shook his head horrified, "I've seen your kids, and they're terrifying! They're just like their mom, on a bad day."

"Try living with all of them together, then you'll understand the meaning of the word terrifying," said Shikamaru as he shook his head solemnly.

Naruto laughed again, "You know its not that hard really, I just think of it like I did when we were kids. You remember those boring lectures we sat through, learning about stuff we've never even come close to using? I remember trying to sneak out the window with you and the other guys behind Iruka Sensei's back. It's those times that I miss the most, that's why I never really tried to grow up, I want to stay close to those few memories I have from y childhood, even if they were islands in a sea of bad memories."

Shikamaru smirked, "I have to admit we had some good times back then. It's a shame that we're forced to discard those moments of youthful joy."

"Youthful joy?" questioned Naruto, "Careful now, you're starting to sound like Lee."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "God I don't want that. Well you guys seem to have things handled here; I better get back to Kakashi and wake him up before Ino sees him. The bitching will last another week if she beats me there." He said over his shoulder and he walked out the door.

Naruto smiled and looked out the window, replaying his memories one more time before he stood up and climbed out the window, running home with his everlasting childhood excitement.

--

"So how did it go?" asked Kakashi questioningly.

"Well it was a disaster," started Shikamaru, "But he cleared it up surprisingly well."

"Is that so? Well that's good I suppose," the Hokage remarked, picking up his book again.

"Well that's not all..."

"Oh?"

"He taught them the Shadow Clone ability in only an hour or so"

"Oh he showed them? I'm sure they thought that was interesting."

"No you misunderstand, he taught them HOW to do it, and from what I could tell all of the students in that room were able to do it. That's primarily what caused the disaster in the first place. Still its theoretically impossible for him to teach them that quickly, but it seems he doesn't apply."

Kakashi raised his exposed eyebrow, "Now that IS interesting. It seems he's full of surprises as usually, still it seems he has the talent for it. I have a feeling it's almost time."

"Indeed. So you want to go get a drink?"

"It's the middle of the afternoon and you want to go drinking?"

"I cant be out late tonight, Temari will kill me if I am."

"She has you on that short of a leash?"

"You have NO idea."

"Well actually I know quite a bit about leashes…"

"Too much information." Groaned Shikamaru

"Sorry."


	3. Movement III: Adagio

Authors Note:

Well I'm sure a lot of you are probably pretty angry with me for taking so long, the rest of you probably don't even remember about this story. I want to really apologize for taking what seems to be half a year to get this updated. I could make a lot of excuses including starting my own business and trying to keep up with my college courses, but that probably doesn't really make a difference to you guys. Nonetheless I finial got to spring break and had some free time so I wrote Movement III to this fic. I hope to be able to update much more frequently, but once again, college takes precedent, but I will try. So I hope you can forgive me for taking so long, but hopefully this update will make up for at least a little. Once again, apologize, please review, and enjoy the story.

* * *

**-Movement III-**

**Adagio**

One of the biggest questions I've devised while in this world is the question: What defines who we are? What makes us unique? More importantly, what is this thing we call the soul? Is it how we look? No, looks, as you know, can be deceiving. Is it how we act? No, people often say and do things they don't mean to. Perhaps what defines us is something more external, something more abstract. Perhaps it is the connections that we share with one another. When two people meet, become friends, perhaps even fall in love. Are we defined by how others view us, how others feel about us? Maybe, just maybe, this thing we call the soul, is that sense of joy and warmth we feel around our friends, our family, and our loved ones. Maybe it is these connections that we share with one another, that truly give us the meaning in life that we all deeply desire and need.

Sakura rolled over in bed, frowning when her hand met and empty space where Naruto should have been. It was Sakura's first day off in three weeks; Tsunade had been working her to the bone, so in turn Sakura was enjoying a well deserved morning to sleep in. Still she knew that Naruto had some sort of mission today and had probably already left. It was then that she sensed a presence behind her as her husband's lips pressed to the back of her head. Smiling she rolled over and looked up at a very handsome blond.

"Did I wake you? Sorry, I was trying to be quiet; I wanted to let you sleep in on your day off."

"Hmm no it's fine, I'm glad I caught you before you left for work today." She smiled drawing him in for a good morning kiss. "Actually I'm going to go meet some friend's later today for lunch, I've been so busy lately that my social life has been non-existent."

"Whatever makes you happy my dear." He smiled back

Sakura rolled her eyes, "You are so corny." And with a smile she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her body up against his. His arms wrapped protectively around Sakura's back and a warm sensation washed over the two. "Come back to me safely ok?" she whispered in his ear, as she always did before they parted.

Naruto nuzzled into Sakura's neck, "I promise, always." He leaned back and looked into his lover's eyes, "I have to go now," he cupped her face in his hands and mouthed those three words which she returned silently before he turned and walked out the door.

Her eyes stayed trained on the bedroom door even long after she heard him leave the front door. Reaching behind her, Sakura grabbed Naruto's pillow and wrapped her arms around it tightly. It wasn't the same, but it would have to do.

It would be several more hours before the sun decided to creep past the horizon and rouse the sleeping Sakura to finally get out of bed. Pulling herself from the warmth of the sheets, a small shiver overtook her and she quickly darted to the shower. It was winter time in Konoha again, and even though the sun shone as brightly as ever, a chilly wind had decided to make its home in the village for the time being. The hot water of the shower was a decent enough escape from the shiver and offered to clear the sleep from her eyes. Despite Sakura's apparent punctual nature, the only way she was able to arrive on time to work was by waking up several hours earlier. Simply put, Sakura was not a morning person. She often blamed it on Naruto's morning habits, though they both knew she had always been like that.

Suddenly cold water poured from the showerhead and Sakura groaned. Lately Sakura had been making Naruto shower more because she simply couldn't stand the stench we wreaked of after training. Unfortunately, in his ever vigilant quest to keep Sakura as happy as possible, Naruto had now taken the act of showering to a whole new level, and thus used up all the hot water. Frantically scrubbing the shampoo out of her hair and shivering, Sakura resolved to scold her husband later.

Soon she was wrapped in a warm towel and digging through her drawer for something to wear out with her friends. She blushed and a smirk overtook her face as she set aside a pair of her sexy underwear. She remembered how red Naruto's face got when she first showed them to him. She had bought them on a whim, a compulsion buy, a gift for Naruto's birthday some years back. The act has surprised her as well, such an act was not like her, but after seeing Naruto's reaction, she was glad she took the chance.

She didn't know how long she stood there; daydreaming like a little girl of all the romantic moments she had shared with her husband. Her husband, the thought of it still made her giddy. Sakura felt as if she was living the romantic fantasy that many women dream about, even if it was with an unlikely knight in orange and black armor.

"Crap! I'm going to be late at this rate!" Dropping the remnants of a very fun birthday night, Sakura grabbed the first thing she saw in the closet and pulled it on as she rushed out the door.

"Going to be late" is a relative phrase when you're a trained ninja who can get to anywhere in the village in about five minutes or less. Still when Sakura arrived at the small Café, Ino rolled her eyes, "I'm telling you Sakura pig, that Naruto is a bad influence on you, showing up late? Not the Sakura I remember!" sitting with Ino was Tenten, a dazed Hinata, and Temari sporting a multitude of children.

Sakura rolled her eyes and slid into an open seat, "I just got distracted and lost track of the time..."

Temari sipped her tea; "Daydreaming about that Naruto no doubt" she said nonchalantly, a thin grin on her face. Sakura tried to stammer out a response but failed miserably as her face turned red and she looked away, embarrassed.

Tenten couldn't help but to giggle, "You know it's true. Don't feel bad though, I think Hinata is constantly daydreaming, you can talk about her and she won't hear a thing, lost in her own little world. Isn't that right Hinata?"

Hinata was staring of into space as Tenten called her name again. Hinata blinked several times before acknowledging Tenten's words, "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Tenten just laughed, "See? Always off thinking about Kiba."

Ino rolled her eyes, "More like thinking about Kiba in bed, from the sounds of it, it's amazing he ever makes it out of the house in the morning with how often she wants to do it. Who ever thought that Hinata of all people would turn out to be the crazy one?"

"The quiet ones are always the one you have to look out for" remarked Temari silently sipping her tea.

"If that's the case then Ino must be totally harmless," snickered Sakura.

Ino scowled and whapped the back of Sakura's head, "Oh shut up pig!" The whole group burst out laughing, even a scowling Ino couldn't help but to smile a little.

Sakura sat back in her chair, a warm feeling drawing over her heart. This was her life, it wasn't full of riches or fame or the grandeur that she imagined when she was a child chasing empty dreams. No, her life was simple, but not plain. It was full of friendship and happiness, a wonderful husband and love. Her life was now what she had often forgotten about or never thought of in the first place when she was younger. A curious thing, to get everything out of nothing, but Sakura still accredited to the people that had surrounded her, especially Naruto, despite her best attempts to shove it all away. Still she was…content with this life, it wasn't a constant struggle to remain happy as she had once assumed, instead it was simple, stable, and easygoing, and in this, Sakura had discovered what she really had wanted all along.

Sakura was obviously spacing out again; luckily the waiter appeared before anyone could remark on her distracted state. The waiter went around the table taking orders, Sakura ordered a bowl of ramen of all things, she knew it wasn't as good as the stuff at Ichiraku's but she had a craving and was compelled to satisfy it. Ino just sighed and made some remark about Naruto turning Sakura into a copy of himself, and then proceeded to order 3 or 4 items on the menu for herself.

It had been clear that after Ino's quick marriage to Choji a couple years back, she had since completely forgotten about her perpetual diet and had put on a lot of weight. Ino looked back and stared at the table of friends staring at her, amazed with the volume of food she would undoubtedly consume. "Psh, once you go fat you never go back." she scoffed, grabbing the small basket of bread from the center of the table and dragging it to her feasting mouth.

Sakura shrugged and looked back at the rest of the table, "Hey Temari, where did you say Shikamaru went off to again?"

The blond just rolled her eyes, "He ran off to work the second I asked him to watch the kids. Luckily Kiba graciously offered to watch them for me, he said something about being too sore to go home right now as he ran off, whatever that means." She replied with a shrug, "Still I suppose it's good that he went into work, I don't think he's gone in for a couple of days this week."

A large chunk of bread fell from Ino's mouth, "He hasn't been in for days? Can you even IMAGINE the amount of unfinished paperwork there is to be done? Someone needs to do something, someone like me!" She exclaimed as she bolted from her seat, "There's not a moment to lose, the safety of the village rests in my hands! Waiter, I need my order to go!" as she grabbed the food from the approaching waiter and dashed down the street.

"…A bit of a hero complex it seems" murmured a perplexed Temari.

"Well, has anyone seen her actually win a fight on her own?" asked Tenten.

"Hey now be nice," replied Sakura, defending her childhood friend, "and no..." she said with a guilty smirk, "Oh, thank you" as she took the bowl of ramen that the waiter had just brought to the table. "So Tenten, where is Neji today? I know you two just got back from your honeymoon recently right?"

"Oh Neji is out on a three day mission with Shino, I'm not sure exactly what it's about but I can imagine it'll be pretty uneventful." She replied.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "what makes you say that?"

"Think about it," interjected Temari, "if any two people could go on a 3 day mission without speaking more than two words to each other, those two could."

Sakura giggled, playing out a 'conversation' between the two in her head. " '…Bugs…' '…Indeed…' " the rest of the table must have had the same thought as they all laughed simultaneously.

Tenten finally shook her laughter, "But yes, we did just get back from honeymooning in the mountains north of the Valley Country. Not my first choice, Neji isn't as naturally talented in romance as say, Naruto.." Sakura immediately blushed much to Tenten's humor, "But Neji did develop this variation of his 128 Strikes…" Tenten shuddered in ecstasy, "Biggest orgasm ever…"

"Hmph, Shikamaru gave me one this morning from across the room." Scoffed Temari, "You probably can't even imagine…"

Tenten rolled her eyes, "I don't even want to know what she does with Kiba to get off," motioning to a still daydreaming Hinata.

"Well he does take Akamaru…everywhere…"

"….gross." responded Tenten, sticking her tongue out.

An awkward silence blanketed the table, but an uninterested Sakura could only sit there and blush. Tenten finally noticed Sakura's red face and let out a groan, "Don't tell me that Naruto…"

"Clones…" murmured Sakura, turning even more red, "lots of clones."

Even Temari cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "Well not all of us are lucky enough to have a man with that level of chakra…" as she sat back in her seat pouting.

Tenten shook he head, "Well I suppose you two had a fun honeymoon then huh? Speaking of which, if I remember, you never really told me how that went."

It was true, the kind of friendship that Sakura had now hadn't really formed back when she had her wedding. Sure it was true that she was still friends with Ino, but it took Sakura a very long time to break free of the cage she had built around herself during her childhood. Ten years ago when she allowed herself, albeit unintentionally, to fall in love with a certain blond comrade, that was the biggest change Sakura had made in her life in that period of time. Ever since that time, Sakura worked every day to free herself from her childhood delusions, and in the process began to realize what she had been missing out on. It was days like today that really brought everything into perspective, and the true appreciation for the life she had earned washed over her.

Sakura smiled, "I never told you? Well as you might have known, Naruto happens to know the queen of the Snow Country personally. See the springs there are actually quite beautiful, and Naruto used his connection to get the most amazing place to stay…"

* * *

It had been a cool day, granted many of the surrounding ice caps were only half melted as it was still early spring, but the wet surface of the ice glistened in the sunlight as the ship passed by. Sakura's hair rustled in the breeze as she leaned on the railing of the ship, taking in all the sights before her. Familiar arms wrapped around her waist, and warm protective hands covered her own. His smooth fingers, somehow unscarred by the life he led, intertwined with her own as soft lips pressed against her hair. He moved her hand, outstretched against the passing horizon and bathing in the sun. The sun shone brightly through the diamond that was now recently affixed to her finger. Sakura smile and turned her head to meet Naruto's eager lips. The kiss made Sakura's spine tingle, as their kisses often did. Naruto smiled back and closed his hand around Sakura's again. Sakura turned back to the sea, "This really was the perfect time to come here, I remember how beautiful the springs are, but this is just incredible!" she said.

Naruto's lips waited over her ear, "I'm glad you're happy Sakura-chan" as his lips tugged on her earlobe.

Sakura's hand shooed his lips off her ear, "Cut it out, not with all of these people here. You promised you'd wait till tonight."

"Aww but Sakura-chan…" he complained.

"No buts," as she turn around in his arms to face him, "and you're the one always saying that you don't go back on your word," as she looked up into his eyes. Damn, those eyes. Those blue sapphire pools that drew her in every time. It annoyed her that she was unable to resist the seemingly limitless power of those eyes, but at the same time… "But maybe I'll let you slide a little this time," she smirked, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in. Their lips met, much like lovers do the first time they kiss. Even though ten years had passed since their first kiss, their kiss in the rain, the same intensity and passion had not left the couple. Faint whispers and giggle from the other passengers on the ship did not reach the ears of the two lovers as they held each other against the railing. It was not till the captain announced that the ship would soon be reaching port, that the two let go of each other. Naruto blushed as he realized everyone on the deck quickly looked away, but Sakura just nuzzled into his arm.

After the boat had docked, Naruto and Sakura made their way off the ship and much to their surprise a familiar voice called out from the small crowd at the dock, "Naruto!". Sure enough, Koyuki Kazahana was standing at the end of the dock with a small personal guard. Before her guard could stop her, the now-Queen of the Snow Country, ran forward, throwing her arms around Naruto's neck and pulling him close. "It's been so long, and you never came to visit like you promised!" she scolded him, "But you've grown so much taller! And you're even cuter now, something I expected from the young man I knew before!"

Sakura cleared her throat, "Thank you so much for helping me and my husband out with our honeymoon plans…" she growled, fist clenched.

Koyuki let go of Naruto and looked at Sakura, "Sakura? Sakura Haruno? Or I suppose Sakura Uzemaki now? Naruto said he was coming for his honeymoon but he didn't say who the lucky girl was. I sure didn't see that one coming!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "Heh well a lot of things happened, but I'm the luckiest guy alive, that's for sure!"

Sakura latched onto his arm tightly, pulling him away from Koyuki, "We're both very happy together.

Koyuki laughed and shook her head, "I can see there's no coming between you two, and I know you two will have a happy life together. Now, let me show you to your accommodations."

One of the guards reached for Sakura's bags but was met with a glare, "I can handle it myself," she growled.

"Uh, sorry, Sakura is very…independent. She likes to carry her own bags." Naruto apologized.

"Oh, I see…Very well then… this way." said Koyuki, turning to walk away.

After a short walk and ride, they arrived at the personal vacation home. Sakura could only stand in the doorway, hands over her mouth in amazement. The classical styled home overlooked a massive inland lake. The now setting sun reflected off the lake of melted ice and snow and illuminated the whole house in a warming glow.

Koyuki smiled, "I hope you enjoy it, this is normally my springtime getaway, but I made an exception for old friends. Dinner has already been prepared for you, breakfast will be delivered tomorrow morning. I'll leave you two alone, enjoy!" and the door slid shut. A few moments passed before Naruto turned to Sakura with his signature grin, "Hungry?"

Sakura unzipped her shirt, "starving," as she jumped up on Naruto, her legs wrapping around his waist. Their lips ravaged each other as Naruto pushed Sakura against a small desk, Sakura's hands working frantically to remove his shirt. Naruto barely got the zipper down on his pants before Sakura took him in her hand and forcefully guided his tip against herself. With her legs she pulled his hips against her and let her finger claw at his smooth back as he entered. The whole time those eyes never parted from hers. Heh, those damn eyes.

Their dinner had grown cold while Naruto and Sakura had made hot love to each other, so the two were in the kitchen, trying to re-heat what was salvageable. Sakura was wearing just her underwear and a sleeveless top, and Naruto hadn't bothered to pull anything back on besides his pants. When all was said and done the two lounged out in bed which was conveniently placed next to a view of the almost set sun reflecting off the water. The two ate quietly, gazing at each other and the scene before them.

"Are you sure that's enough food for you?" Asked Sakura.

"Mmm yeah its fine, I'm not that hungry tonight anyways." He replied

"Not hungry? Are you feeling alright?" she asked, shocked.

Naruto laughed, "No, I'm fine, I just have other things on my mind…" he smiled taking the last bite of the food on his plate.

Sakura raised a devious eyebrow, "Perverted thoughts no doubt…" finishing her plate as well.

Naruto smirked, "Maaybe…"

Sakura smirked and moved closer, letting her hands trace the contours of his face. Her fingers slid behind his head, running across the back of his scalp and tugging at his hair. Naruto's eyes closed as he let out a moan, a moan that was intensified as Sakura's teeth found his bottom lip as she kissed him deeply. She leaned back and kissed his neck, letting her teeth tug at his skin which was rewarded by an even deeper moan from her Naruto. Her mouth made its way down his chest and muscular abs.

"Sakura?" Naruto gasped, barely able to contain himself.

"It's our honeymoon," she explained taking Naruto's zipper in her teeth and pulling it open, freeing his intensely erect member, "I get to be a little kinky…"

* * *

"And that's when he…" asked a rather shocked Tenten

"The clones? Well actually he taught me how to do it too, so it was a bit of a…..group effort" Sakura replied slyly.

Both Tenten and Temari stared at Sakura in disbelief, slightly squirming in their chairs at the idea of a two person orgy of shadow clones. Temari cleared her throat, "Well then…I think I should go relieve Kiba of my children…" she grabbed Hinata by the hand, "Come on little one, I'm going to give your man back so you can go home and do lots of perverted things with him."

Hinata snapped out of her daze, "Wha wha?" she blushed, "I don't do that sort of thing…"

"Oh you should hear the things you tell us about when you've had too much to drink, lightweight." Laughed Temari

"I, uh….alright…" gave up Hinata, defeated.

With Temari and Hinata gone, Tenten turned and smiled at Sakura, "I think I need to go home, Neji will be home soon, and after that little story of yours…"

Sakura laughed, oh how she loved to brag, "Of course, I totally understand…I think I'll go do the same now actually."

Tenten laughed and rolled her eyes, "Sometimes I still feel like we're teenagers again…its refreshing, thank you Sakura. I'll see you around sometime."

Sakura smiled, "Yeah you're right, bye."

And that's when the two parted ways and Sakura made her way back home. She opened the door to an empty house and closed it behind her, though, as always, she left it unlocked. In a way it helped reassure her that Naruto would be coming home safely to her.

Of course now came the task of finding something to do. Sakura always insisted that the house be clean all the time, so it was more or less spotless at the moment. It was too early to make dinner so that would have to wait till later. In a way these days off came both as a relaxation and a curse due to the fact that Sakura simply hated the feeling of doing nothing. There was the possibility of training, but she wanted to be at home when Naruto got back…hopefully he would arrive early.

Giving up Sakura went to the only place she had left, the rooftop garden that Naruto had nurtured for her as a gift ten years ago. As she made her way down the hall she noticed a small book sitting on a desk. The fine leather cover caught Sakura's eye and she picked it up. As she flipped through the pages she realized it was a blank book, a wedding gift from Jiraya if she remembered correctly. He probably said something about recording the honeymoon on paper. Sakura shook her head and laughed silently, no question where Naruto got his perverted influence.

Nonetheless she held onto the book and grabbed a nearby pen and carried it with her up to the rooftop. As she opened to door, the fragrant aroma of the plant life brought rapture to Sakura's nose. Perhaps she was biased, but this garden put even Ino's shop to shame, not that she would ever let Ino see her garden, it was a sanctuary for her and Naruto, and them alone. As she sat down on the bench, she looked out over the village, letting the sights and sounds wrap around her mind. She didn't think, she just wrote, not letting though foul the stream of consciousness that was now flowing onto the paper. The act itself was…therapeutic, and at the least it passed the time. It wasn't long before the pen fell to the ground and the book fell into Sakura's lap, her head nodding as she drifted into sleep.

Her little cat nap didn't last long before a familiar sensation rolled across her face. Her eyes snapped open to those cerulean eyes once more, a sight she never tired of. "You fell asleep Sakura-chan" he said softly.

"Heh I guess I did…" as she rubbed her eyes, "It's still light out; you're home really early today. How did your mission go?"

Obviously trying to restrain his excitement, Naruto finally blurted out, "Kakashi-sensei sent me to be a substitute teacher at the academy! It was so cool! The kid's there were so bored of their old teacher that they practically begged me to come teach again, it was like, the coolest thing ever!"

Sakura smiled and took Naruto's face in her hands, "That's really good, I'm glad you had a good time, I'm sure you were absolutely wonderful." He was acting like a little kid again, a refreshing change from his slightly depressed older self which seemed to dominate his psyche as of late.

"It was so incredible, I love kids, they're just much simpler and happier than all of these adults…so uh…how was your day?" he asked.

"Oh I went to lunch with my friends, talked about some old memories so it was enjoyable. It's even better now that you're home though. It's kind of funny," she laughed, "I always get so worried about you when you go out on missions, and today you were having fun at the academy of all places."

"Well those kid's can be pretty dangerous" he chuckled, "But you should know I'll always come home at the end of the day for you, that's the promise I made to you."

Sakura smiled again, wrapping her arms around his neck and slowly pulling her body against his warm chest, "And I'll be here for you."

Naruto hummed in content as he brushed her hair, "So do you want to get dinner started? Hungry?"

Sakura smiled, pushing Naruto down, straddling him on the bench, "Starving."

* * *

Author's Note: I do have a favor to ask of my readers, a little something I've been curious about. I find it interesting how when I read fanfiction I get a perception of the author, even though I have absolutely no information about them. With that in mind I'm curious to see what perception my readers have about me, so if you don't mind, I'd like you to fill out this 2 question survey for me and post it as a review for this chapter. I'll post the results when I update the next chapter.

1. What gender do you think I am?

2. How old do you think I am?

Thanks for participating, this is solely for my personal curiosity, so don't be worried about guessing wrong.


	4. Movement IV: Dirge

Well guys I'm back with another update, sorry for the wait but college has been a bitch and I've been preparing for final exams. I'd like to thank you all for the reviews, they're always encouraging. As for that little poll I all asked you guys to fill out I have the results! I'll just list the results below (Some people gave age ranges, I just took the middle of the range):

19 - Female

20 - Female

20 - Female

24 - Female

25 - Female

17 - Male

19 - Male

20 - Male

20 - Male

20 - Male

23 - Male

Actually people did better than I thought. I know I mentioned college before, so that probably gave away the age thing. When I posted that poll I was actually 19, but I recently turned 20. I am indeed a guy as well, it just seemed that from those who don't know me personally but I talked to on occasion were under the impression that I was a woman. I was just curious about what others thought, so thanks for your cooperation.

Also, as some of you may know, I drabble in 3D art a bit. I finally broke down and did some Naruto Fanart. You can find it in my deviantArt account genesis-dragon.deviantart .com (You need to take out the space between deviantart and .com. doesnt like URL's is seems...) I understand that Naruto's hair probably seems a bit...off, but I've been having great difficulty dealing with the spikeyness so I settled with saying that because our Naruto is a bit older, his hair is longer and thus it tends to hang down more. Nonetheless, you can expect some images of scenes in Gardens of Rain and Symphony Paradise! Be sure to visit my gallery for updates and leave me a comment or two, I love feedback for my art too!

Well enough talking, please enjoy the chapter!

**-Movement IV-**

**Dirge**

We hear it a lot nowadays, "Freedom Isn't Free." But do we really know what that means? Freedom from what? From war? Famine? Free from slavery or a repressive government? Freedom from humanity, from ourselves? Freedom from death itself? We talk about freedom all the time but when forced to define it, we struggle an search for the nearest dictionary. Even so if freedom isn't free, what does one pay with? Money? Blood sweat and tears? Maybe with life itself. I suppose it depends on the definition of free from person to person, and what they're willing to give up to attain that freedom. People have an obligation to answer this question for themselves and decide on what kind of freedom they want, instead of blindly following the definition set by "higher" powers. Define your own personal freedom, your own sky, or live in a cage for the rest of your life, it's up to you.

--

It was a warm day, the clouds drifted lazily through the sky, and the familiar and comforting sounds of the leaves rustling in the wind. It was…peaceful, yes peaceful; a feeling that Tsunade had not felt in a long time. The countries over the years had calmed down, war seemed less and less of an immediate threat, and finally the villages could sleep without fear of attack. Villagers often joked about how the ninja would soon be out of a job if things continued, but there was of course still a need for them. Tsunade chuckled at images of fresh academy students picking up trash and saving cats from trees, things that even she had to do when she was younger. Even so, there would always be bandits and people needing escorts and whatnot, perhaps not the most glorious job for an elite shinobi but at least it gave them a reason to exist.

Yes it was a long awaited calm, a peace that 10 years ago seemed impossible. A lot had changed in that time, and ironically enough, even a legendary Sannin such as herself, had little to do with it. No, it was that of the children, well at least children at the time. The sand village's Kazekage, Gaara, helped to unify the Hidden Villages. With his unwavering resolve, he worked relentlessly to negotiate peach treaties amongst the villages and end the cold war that had loomed over the populations. To this day, the countries enjoyed peaceful relations with one another, save a few small, but seemingly quiet villages. Nonetheless, military tension was almost nonexistent and trade was fruitful and plentiful.

Shikamaru and Temari Nara had worked in conjunction with Gaara's negotiation efforts, using Konoha and Suna as a single backbone to host negotiations with the other villages. Even though the two of course shared love for one another, the marriage of the Kazekage's sister and Konoha's lead tactician helped to reassert the trust between the two villages, which in turn was a powerful political joining.

Sakura Haruno was now the Head Medical Officer for the Konoha Hospital, a title that Tsunade had forfeited to her student many years ago. Sakura had been working to set up similar medical facilities in various villages. By combining the medical knowledge base of Konoha and Suna, the two were able to offer other villages unparalleled medical facilities. This succeeded in being an act of good will and promoting peace between the nations.

Then there was of course Naruto Uzumaki. Many years ago he had been sent on a mission to the Valley country for a mission that ultimately uncovered massive reserves of riches for the Valley. This in turn actually left relations between the Valley and Suna tense. Before that Suna had a virtual monopoly on the trade of precious gemstones across the world, but with this new discovery in the Valley, that monopoly was threatened, leaving Suna very wary of the economic situation. On top of that, several Suna ambassadors were assassinated while at the Suna Embassy in the Valley, leaving the relations between the two countries threadbare at best. Luckily, the then leader of the Valley, a man by the name of Forte, had befriended Naruto while he was there with the excavation mission. It was Naruto who managed to talk Forte and Gaara into discussing peaceful relations with one another. It was these first peace talks which spawned the movement that unified the countries and ultimately brought peace to the world.

This peace of course was under threat from various forces, one of which had constantly caused turbulence throughout the world. As more and more time passed, the Akatsuki organization seemed to grow more desperate and aggressive in their attempts to collect the Bijuu. By taking whatever means necessary, the Akatsuki continued to collect all the Bijuu, threatened the delicate balance that Naruto and the others were building for the world. Intelligence at the time indicated that Akatsuki were in possession of up to 6 of the 9 Bijuu, a number that worried the villages greatly. Naruto had taken it upon himself to prevent Akatsuki from growing in strength by slowly eliminating their members one by one and cutting off any sources that may be helping the Akatsuki accomplish their goals.

It was on a simple reconnaissance mission to a foreign bank that may have been supplying Akatsuki with funding in order to further their plans. The plan was to enter the bank undetected and confirm records to Akatsuki activity. Tsunade had originally planned to just send an Anbu team, but Naruto had insisted that he did it himself. After much deliberation, Tsunade allowed Naruto to do the mission by himself, Sakura of course insisted on accompanying him. It was a decision all of them would live to regret.

The mission was solely meant to be reconnaissance, in order to asses the security level at the bank. Unfortunately something went wrong and the forces stationed at the bank were waiting for them. Not only was the level of security ten times the expected amount, but one of the remaining members of Akatsuki was waiting there as well. Tsunade pressed her fingers into her eyes as the haunting memories flooded back in.

--

_The roar of rain on the tin roofing was making it difficult to concentrate as Tsunade struggled to stay awake at her desk. She had given up her title as Hokage in order relieve some of the stress in her life, but working as head of the hospital was hardly the vacation she had hoped for. Her head dropped to the back of the seat, letting her eyes close, her thoughts turned to Sakura and Naruto. It was at least a three day trek to their target from Konoha, maybe two and a half at Naruto's usual breakneck pace. They should have arrived at the bank yesterday, even so Tsunade had a bad feeling about this mission from the start. Trying to shake her nervousness, she grabbed the nearby paper and scanned for that day's lottery numbers. Breath escaped her. Frantically reaching into her robe and drawing out her ticket, her face went pale. Sure enough the numbers on the ticket matched the winning numbers for the day. Dropping the paper she shoved back her chair and shot out of her desk, making a break for the door. As she reached for handle, the doors burst open and Shizune burst in,_

_"Tsunade-sama! It's Naruto and Sakura!"_

_Tsunade's heart threatened to clog her throat, "They're back already? What happened?!"_

_"No time to explain, Sakura is barely alive, hurry!"_

_This couldn't be happening, it had to be another drunken nightmare. Even if something had gone wrong at the bank, they wouldn't have been able to make it back by now. Were they attacked en route? No that wouldn't make sense, who would have attacked then? Throwing the doors open Tsunade stormed into the front lobby, "What the hell happened?!" she demanded, Naruto still clinging to the bloody, near-corpse that was Sakura._

_"Tsnade, We…I…" he stammered. The sound of dripping blood entered Tsunade's ears as she realized Sakura's blood was pooling around Naruto's feet._

_"Never mind," prying Sakura from Naruto's bloody grip, "Explain later." Laying Sakura on the nearest bed, Tsunade immediately began pulling the cart into the nearest operating room. The faint glow of chakra surrounded her hand as she tried to at least stem the blood that was hemorrhaging out of Sakura's abdomen. The operating room that Tsunade had rushed into was in use but the occupants quickly relocated with Tsunade's orders to get out. Tsunade immediately began examining Sakura' wound. The cut was deep, too deep, a fatal blow. No, she had to try to save her student, no...her daughter. Even though they were not related by blood, the bond the two had formed was more than just master and student, but more of mother and daughter. She would save Sakura's life, not only as her student, but as her own childs._

_It was then that Shizune entered with a team of surgeons whom immediately took position around the table. "Shizune!" called Tsunade, "Go check on Naruto, we need him alive just as much as we need Sakura, now go!"_

_"Y-yes Tsunade-sama!" nodded the ex-hokage's assistant, rushing out the door._

_Besides the gaping slash in Sakura's abdomen, she suffered from several gashes across her arms and legs, not to mention several puncture wounds in her side and back. Tsunade wasn't sure how Sakura hadn't bled dry on the trip back. Upon close inspection, Tsunade felt the faint tinge of chakra inside the wounds. Sakura would have passed out from the pain of her injuries, but it would seem that even though she was unconscious, Sakura had attempted to heal herself. A faint smile of hope crept onto Tsunade's face, "That's my girl" she murmured, "Now let us take care of the rest." Tsunade turned to the rest of the surgeons, "What are you waiting for? You four work on closing up those smaller wounds. I want you to help keep her pain under control, she may be unconscious but I don't want her nervous system to burn out. You two, help me stabilize the area around the main abdominal wound!"_

_Tsunade probed the wound with her chakra, trying to find a place to start. The blade had sliced nearly half way through her body, and Sakura's intestines had leaked toxic bile into the rest of her body. The septic shock had already set in and the first task was to clean and sterilize the area before the infection killed her. Not only that, Tsunade sensed the presence of an all too familiar point, undoubtable added to the weapon that had cut her student. It was a toxin developed by the late Sasori of Akatsuki; the same toxin that Sakura herself had developed an antidote to shortly before dispatching Sasori herself. Despite the Puppet-master's death, Akatsuki continued to use the poison more and more in their efforts. Other countries had panicked at the complicated and so-called "incurable" poison. It was Sakura's antidote to the drug that actually helped encourage other countries to ally and trade medical knowledge and supplies._

_"Someone get me a dose of the Red Scorpion antidote! Inject it straight into her heart, there's no time to waste!" she ordered. As one of the nurses ran off to get the antidote, Tsunade began cleaning out the wound while simultaneously trying to close up what was left of Sakura's intestinal tract. She had to be careful to make sure the area was clean before closing up that portion of the wound or internal infection would set in and Sakura would die from the inside. Not only that but the poison in her system complicated the healing process, causing Tsunade to expend far more chakra than normal. On top of that, the internal bleeding was not stopping nearly fast enough. "Bring me a bag of O-type blood, she's going to bleed out at this rate." she barked, continuing to frantically purify and repair Sakura's broken body._

_About an hour into the procedure, the battle was not going well and Sakura was slipping further and further away. "Dammit I need Shizune! Someone go get her!" roared the former Hokage._

_"I'm here!" Shizune called as she burst through the doors, "Naruto is fine, I'll give you the details later."_

_"Good, now help me stop this bleeding, she's losing it faster than we can pump it into her." Shizune nodded and got on the other side of the table across from Tsunade, placing her hands over Sakura's body and letting the faint glow of Chakra flow into Sakura's body._

_Even with both Shizune and Tsunade, Sakura's condition barely improved. The cut had been deep and wide, mangling not only her abdomen but her lower hips. Her reproductive parts in particular sustained extensive damage, one of her ovaries being completely obliterated, the other showing signs of scar tissue. Tsunade had managed to clean up and repair the majority of Sakura's vital organs, and salvaged as much as possible of the rest. Nonetheless as the hours dragged on the bleeding would not subside and Sakura had already gone through several bags of blood. Tsunade was pushing her limit as well, the surgery had been ongoing for hours and the procedure had been incredibly taxing on her chakra reserves. Finally the bleeding seemed to slow and victory seemed as if it were in sight, heh, perhaps luck was really on Tsunade's side. As if on cue, Sakura suddenly was wracked with convulsions. Coughing, blood spewed from Sakura's mouth. "Dammit what the hell? Is it the poison? I thought I told you to administer the antidote to her heart!" roared Tsunade as she turned's Sakura's head to the side._

_"I-I did Tsunade-sama! A whole dose right into her heart, it should have wiped out the poison!" stammered the surgeon._

_"Dammit! Bring me another one then!"_

_"But too much of the antidote could kill her!"_

_"She's dead if we don't give it to her, now go!"_

_Dammit, where was it? She didn't think that there was that much poison in the wound. Something was wrong, Sakura's heart rate had nearly doubled in the last minute and her body was still convulsing. It was then that the surgeon returned with the second dose of antidote which was snatched away by Tsunade and quickly pumped into Sakura's heart. Placing her hands over Sakura' chest Tsunade desperately began searching for the poison. With Sakura's climbing heart rate, the poison needed to be located before Sakura went into cardiac arrest. Tsunade pushed the antidote through Sakura's body with chakra, "Come on girl, show me where it is. Help me!" she muttered under her breath. Maybe it was Tsunade's imagination or maybe pure luck, but it felt a if her chakra was being pulled to Sakura's lungs. Sakura's heart rate was reaching critical as Tsunade's arms started to go numb, her chakra almost gone. She made a final, desperate push for Sakura's lungs...and there it was. The poison had been hiding in the edge of Sakura's lungs, making every breath she took a deadly one. The chakra infused antidote blew the remaining poison away, but Sakura's heart had already seized up._

_Tsunade's eyes widened, Sakura Haruno, her student, her daughter was dead, laying on the table in front of her. She had failed, she had failed her student, she had failed Naruto, herself, everyone. She...no, not yet. "Not yet Dammit! I'll be damned if I outlive you!" Tsunade roared, putting her hands on the chest of Sakura's corpse, "I didn't come this far for you to give up on me yet!" she screamed._

_"Tsunade what are you..." asked Shizune but silenced herself when she saw the look in Tsunade's eyes._

_If one of them had to die today, it sure as hell wasn't going to be Sakura. Tsunade forces every last ounce of her strength and chakra into Sakura's body. Not enough, more, she had to try harder. Tsunade was out of chakra now but she pushed harder, her consciousness slipping away. Her arms felt as if they were aflame and her legs were starting to go numb. Tears rolled down Tsunade's face as she let out a cry, throwing her entire being into one last push to bring Sakura back. Tsunade's legs went limp, pain shot through her head as she started to collapse. She was going to die, right here in the middle of her hospital. The irony was almost too much to bear, a fitting last thought. As her eyes began to close she saw her pink-haired student inhale, her chest rising, life entering her body and flowing through her veins. Well if Sakura survived, then dying here would be alright. That was the last thought of the Legendary Sannin Tsunade._

_Or so she thought._

_It was not for a week that Tsunade opened her eyes again; unsure on how she was still alive. She was laying in a hospital bed, she wasn't in any pain and despite slightly blurred vision, she felt fine. Looking over, the head of a sleeping Shizune rested on the bed beside next to Tsunade's hand. The blond poked at Shizune, "Hey you, sleeping is my job, wake up."_

_Shizune immediately snapped her head up, "Tsunade-sama?!" tears welled up in her eyes, "You're awake...I thought you'ld never wake up!"_

_"Yea I thought the same thing...how long have I been out?"_

_"Eight days," Shizune replied_

_"Eight days? You're thought I'd not wake up after an eight day coma? You worry too much!" then the memories came rushing back, the rain, Naruto, the stench of blood, Sakura. Sakura dying on the table in front of her, "Sakura? What happened?!" Tsunade cried in a panic sitting up in bed._

_Shizune smiled, "Sakura is doing fine. After you got rid of that hidden poison we managed to stabilize her and close up the rest of the wounds without a problem. Shes been slipping in and out of consciousness for the past couple of days. Naruto is staying with her though, so she should be just fine."_

_"Oh," Tsunade smiled falling back against the bed, "That's good to hear. What happened to Naruto after I took Sakura?"_

_"Well I later learned that they arrived at the bank in a little under three days. Unfortunately, the forces stationed there were tenfold what intelligence had estimated and were expecting to be attacked by two Konoha ninja. Sakura and Naruto were immediately surrounded and outnumbered. The fact that they were even able to escape with their lives is a miracle."_

_"They got there in three days, but they were only gone for four, are you saying that..."_

_"Yes, Naruto carried Sakura for a three day trip in under a day. I didn't believe him at first either. Things like that just don't happen because of sheer will alone."_

_"He loves that girl you know...anything in possible when it comes to that boy..."_

_Shizune smirked, "Heh, I suppose you're right. When he arrived at the hospital, his arm was barely attached to his body. After you took Sakura, I tried to ask him who did this but he only managed one word... 'Itachi' After that he collapsed from exhaustion and blood loss. His wounds were severe, but the Kyuubi inside him saved his life."_

_"Itachi? Itachi Uchiha did this?"_

_"According to Naruto, yes."_

_"...I see. The wound was inflicted with the Sasori poison, so it makes sense that Akatsuki would be responsible... Well I should talk to him myself anyways, help me get out of bed Shizune." said Tsunade as she tried to pry herself up from bed._

_"Tsunade-sama...there's something else you should know. Even though you survived the Over extension of your Chakra, im afraid your legs were severely damaged."_

_"What do you mean?" the metallic tinge of fear creeping into her voice._

_Shizune cleared her throat, trying to maintain her complexion, "When you forced out more Chakra than your limit allowed, your body did what it had to do and started converting your body into energy to keep you alive. It started with your legs before you finially collapsed. The nerves as well as the muscle tissue in your legs was used up, chances are you'll never use them again. We tried to regenerate the tissue but there's just not enough to work with anymore...I'm...sorry Tsunade-sama." She could no longer hold back the tears and they began to flow freely down Shizune's face._

_Tsunae frowned, "...Hmmph," pulling Shizune close, "Hey there, in the end Sakura and Naruto survived. The fact that I only had to give up my legs instead of my life is proof that luck may finally be cutting me a break, so don't beat yourself up over it."_

_Shizune laughed through tearful eyes, "Don't say things like that, you'll jinx it for the rest of us and then something will go wrong."_

--

Something had gone wrong though. Later on the medical team confirmed the damage to Sakura's reproductive organs. Telling Sakura that she could not have children was far more difficult that Tsunade had coming to terms with the loss of her ability to use her legs. Even so, Tsunade had done everything in her power and achieved more than she had hoped for, and harbored no regrets from the incident.

"Hmm it's a lovely day today, mind if I join you on that bench?"

Tsunade looked up at her successor, the current Hokage of Konoha, Kakashi Hatake. "It's been a long time Kakashi, you're starting to look a little gray there." she laughed

Kakashi narrowed his exposed eye, "Very funny...I'll take that as a yes." he grumbled sitting down next to his predecessor. "Anyways, you seemed lost in thought a moment ago. May I ask what you were thinking about?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about the night that Sakura was hurt. I still wonder how Naruto managed to carry her back in such a short time, especially considering how badly injured he was."

"Well he is the Most Unpredictable Ninja, especially when it comes to Sakura."

"He loves that girl more than anyone I've ever seen. He'll do anything for her, and he'll always succeed at it. Thats just the kind of person he is."

"Don't you means, that's his way of the ninja?" chuckled Kakashi.

Tsunade returned the laugh, "I suppose you're right."

"He also loves this village too, you know" Kakashi said solely

"You're right, even after all the suffering it's caused him, that man will do anything to protect it." she replied with a nod.

"I'm glad you agree...I sent him as a substitute instructor at the Acadamy a few days ago. From the sounds of it the children loved him, so I guess he did well then..."

"Kakashi, what did you really come here to ask me? You are the Hokage you know, you don't have to ask me about every major decision."

Kakashi lowered his head, "I've never truly considered myself to be the Hokage you know. More like a bridge to span the time between you and the next."

"So you're here to ask me my opinion on who the next Hokage should be?"

"...More or less"

"If you have to ask, then you're an Idiot. You've already made up your mind about who its going to be."

"Heh, it's not like I really have a choice in the matter. I guess it would make it easier if it came from you."

"How about you consider it the would-be wishes of the Hokage who should have lived. I have a feeling Minato would have wanted it this way." she replied.

A smile could be seen through Kakashi's mask, "Well then that's good enough for me, thank you, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, "I'm retired!" but Kakashi had already disappeared. "Well, you can stop spying on me" she sighed. With a chuckle Jirayra approached the bench and sat down next to Tsunade. "So how long have you been hiding in the bushes back there? Hoping to catch a peek?"

Jirayra laughed, "No nothing like that. I was just watching over you."

Tsunade laughed, "Anyways... well I assume you overhead the conversation then?"

Jirayra nodded, "So then it's done. Things have finally come full circle at last." he remarked.

"Yeah...in a way I'm kind of sad, it was fun teasing him about all that 'I'm going to be Hokage!' talk all the time" she smiled.

"The world is at peace, and now he will finally achieve his dream. Looks like in the end everyone is happy."

Tsunade smiled, "yeah...I suppose you're right." she let out a long sigh.

Jirayra cocked his eyebrow, "Hm?"

"You win." she breathed, letting her head lean up against Jirayra's side, her hand slipping on top of his. "Let's stay like this, at least for a little while.."

Jirayra's eyes smiled softly, intertwining his fingers with Tsunade's and kissing the top of her head, "As you wish."


	5. Movement V: Overture

Naruto1217-

Thanks for the reply, I seem to be short of reviewers as of late... Also I'm glad you were able to track down my gallery, seems FF . net doesn't like URLs of any sort. Just to repost for anyone else who got confused, the URL to my Naruto Fanart is at http / genesis-dragon. deviantart. com (You'll need to take out the spaces in the URL and put it into your web browser.

Gnosismaster-

Hey, don't hate me, hate Itachi lol.

Mrfipp-

It's cool man, I don't really care if you guys think I'm a guy or a gal, I was just curious to know. As for Itachi...well you better keep reading to find out whats going on with him, not this chapter but soon.

**-Second Symphony-**

-Second Arc-

We often speak of following our dreams, may it be to be swept off our feet by a knight in shining armor, his dark hair blowing in the wing. It may be to be successful, recognized for our abilities and talents. Or maybe we dream to live happily ever after, holding a loved one in our arms as the sun sets over the distant horizon. Children hold onto their dreams, desperate to stay afloat in the sea of the world. The dreams of children are rafts on which to float thorough childhood and inevitably to adulthood. Sadly though, dreams fade with the harsh circumstances of life. The dark haired Knight never comes; political opponent outmaneuver us, and sometimes that sunset never comes. AS we get older we loosen our grip on those dreams and settle for what's dealt to us by life's hand. When we get even older we soon forget that we had dreams in the first place, and sink into the empty abyss of life.

For those who have forgotten how to dream, remember this: You too were once a child and knew what it truly meant to reach and grasp the impossible.

**-Movement V-**

**Overture**

"Sakura-chan, time to wake up sleepyhead" Naruto coaxed nudging his sleeping beauty.

Sakura groaned, swatting away his hand, "Five more minutes…"

He laughed, "That's what you've said every five minutes for the past fifteen."

"Grr why didn't you make me get up then!"

"Sorry, you just look so beautiful when you're asleep" softly brushing her hair off of her face.

"You watch me when I sleep? That's kinda creepy you know," wiping the sleep from the corners of her eyes.

"Maybe, but you don't mind, right?" he whispered seductively, rubbing the side of his face against her. His teeth found Sakura's neck and bit down.

Sakura shuddered, her fingers clawed at Naruto's back. God she loved that, it was so…primal and sexy, every time he did that she would start to lose herself….but she had to go to work, "No, no! I'm running late already because of you!" complaining as she pushed him off, rolling over and straddling him, "We will finish this tonight after work, ok?"

"Hmmm Promise?"

"Promise. Besides, I think we both deserve a little reward for our hard work lately hm?"

Naruto nodded like a teenage boy, eagerly awaiting his chances to feel the warmth of a woman. Sakura climbed off the blond and hurried to throw herself in the shower before rushing off to the hospital. Being the head of the Hospital was hard work but not without reward. Not only had she directly helped unify the nations, seeing the happy faces of the saved and their families on a daily basis was more to make it all worth it.

Sakura was washing the shampoo out of her hair as she heard the door creak open slowly. "Naruto, I said after work!"

"But I have to pee…" he whined

Sakura rolled her eyes; he acted like such a child sometime, "Well then use the toilet dummy"

Naruto cleared his throat, "But my…it's all….I cant pee like this….please?"

The water shut off and Sakura climbed out, dripping wet and naked, "Could you hand me that towel please?"

"You're not helping you know," he moaned, handing her the towel.

"Not my problem, I have to go to work, hospital isn't going to run itself if I'm late." She replied walking out of the bathroom.

Naruto sighed, "You're too cruel Sakura-chan"

Sakura could barely stifle her laughter as she pulled on her clothes. Oh how she loved to tease him so, he would complain about it but she couldn't just let him win so easily all of the time, right? "Alright hun I'm heading out, I'll see you tonight at 6:30. How about I bring ramen back for dinner?"

A resounding grunt came from the bathroom which Sakura assumed meant, "Yes my beloved, thank you so much for all your hard work and consideration for my wellbeing and happiness in my existence." Well, she could hope that's what it meant at least. Sakura opened the front door lost in her personal joke and ran straight into Ino. Sakura fell back dropping her bag in the process. Ino just stood there taking up a good portion of the door while rubbing her nose, "Geeze pig, you're forehead is as thick and wide as ever". Sakura pulled herself to her feet, picking up her bag in the process, "And you're a pain the ass as usual" rubbing her rear end. The two friends just laughed, "Anyways sorry about that, what can I do for you?" asked Sakura.

"Well actually I need Naruto, the Hokage sent me to get him." Ino replied,

"The Hokage? I thought you didn't work for him anymore…"

"Well…I don't, but I overhead Kakashi tell that idiot Shikamaru to come get Naruto, but knowing those lazy asses it would never get done; so I came here to tell Naruto myself."

"Uh huh…well…when does he need to be there?"

Ino shrugged, "Eventually"

Sakura raised her eyebrow, "Eventually?"

"Yeah, I guess Kakashi doesn't care when he gets there," Ino rolled her eyes, "It's not like he's ever doing much anyways."

"I see, Naruto?" she called over her shoulder, "Did you hear all of that?"

"Yes…" a pathetic voice responded, "I'll head over there after my shower".

Ino knitted her brow, "What's up with him?"

Sakura sighed, "He pouting because I have to go to work. Geeze now I'm going to be really late!"

"Ah well let me walk with you then, there's a few more things I need to talk to you about," replied Ino closing the door behind Sakura.

"Uhg is this about that stupid medical checkup? I don't see why I can't just do it myself; I am the head of the hospital after all..."

"Yes you are, but even you are not exempt for hospital rules. They're there for a reason you know! Don't worry, I'll do the exam for you, we'll just schedule for your next day off. Now besides that, there is one other thing I wanted to talk to you about…" Ino smirked.

--

Naruto turned on the shower and shed his underwear to the bathroom floor. The water was still hot from Sakura's shower, and Naruto still desperately needed to pee. He looked down at the problem between his legs, still unsure on what to do. Kiba had mentioned on several occasions about just peeing in the shower, but somehow that seemed kinda gross. Besides, if Sakura found out, and somehow she always managed to, Naruto would be a dead man. No, not a dead man, there were so many fates worse than death, and Sakura was probably a master at most of them. Taking a deep breath, "Ok ok, it's not like I haven't done this before. Sure it's been a while but I still know how to ….do it…" Nonetheless it still felt slightly awkward as he searched the shower for something to help him along.

"Ah Come on Kit, you don't need Sakura for this. Real men do it alone!" echoed the all too familiar voice in Naruto's head.

"You're not helping Kyuubi!" he complained.

"Hey like this one time I was doing it and I took out an entire forest in the process. Trees burning, the ground was totally leveled, it was awesome!"

Well that killed the problem right there and then, "…Demon Fox Masturbation, I guess I need to add that to the list of Ultimate Turnoffs…Thanks I guess…" Naruto groaned

"Anytime!" replied the fox cheerfully.

Naruto quickly washed himself and leaped out of the shower to relieve his bladder. Feeling somewhat better about the morning he decided to pull his clothes on and see what Kakashi wanted to see him about, maybe he'd get lucky and get to go be a substitute at the Academy again.

Ten minutes later he was knocking on the Hokage's office door. "See, I told you it would work," came Shikamaru's voice as he opened the door.

"What would work?" inquired the blond.

Kakashi looked up from his book and took his feet off the desk, "He didn't want to go and get you so we just waited till Ino was listening through the door so she'd go off and do it for him. I'm surprised she actually fell for it."

Shikamaru climbed back into his chair, "There's a reason I'm one of the best tacticians in the village…"

Kakashi turned to Naruto, "Anyways, I have a very important special mission for you, one that I think will compliment your unique abilities."

"Oh?" Naruto's excitement was clearly heard in his voice.

"Yes, this is somewhat sudden, but in one week's time, the inauguration of the next Hokage will take place…"

Naruto's eyes went wide and butterflies swarmed his throat, "I…"

"…And I want you to work Security for the event." finished Kakashi with a smile.

Naruto's heart dropped between his feet. He silently cursed himself for letting his hopes get the better of him. He held back his tears but it was a swiftly losing battle; still he tried to be mature about it. Forceful clearing his throat, "I see. Who's in charge of security?"

"Anko will be leading the security team. I want you to head over to the coliseum and meet with her to discuss plans, understood?"

Naruto clenched his fist, not out of anger but to hold back his already overflowing emotions. "Alright, I'll head over now." He grunted through gritted teeth as he quickly spun around and practically ran out the door. Once outside the building, Naruto ducked away into a dark alley. The collar of his jacket was the only thing he could bite down on as he let out all the frustration and sadness that had consumed him. His hands clawed at the brick wall, thin streams of blood ran his turn fingernails rand down his hands. He fell to his knees sobbing, his fingers gently steaming as his wounds almost instantly healed.

"Kit, I…"

"Not now Kyuubi…"

"…My apologies…"

It was several more minutes before Naruto managed to collect himself and dry his eyes. Dragging himself to his feet he trudged out of the alleyway and sped off towards to coliseum.

Upon arrival and the main coliseum office, Anko, in her usual fashion, complained about Naruto being late. "You know back before I was a Jonin, they used to beat you when you showed up late to an assignment." She licked her lips seductively, "Oh how I enjoyed it…want to give it a try?"

Naruto had learned from experience it was best not to encourage Anko and skipped straight to business, "So what is the plan for security?"

Anko stuck out her lip pouting, "Fine, be that way." With a sigh she unrolled a map of the village and coliseum out of the table. "We'll have the usual security around the perimeter of the village; it'll make good practice for the Fresh Genin Meat. Because of your cloning abilities, you'll be proving support to the several ANBU teams stations directly around the stage. If anything should go wrong you will…intercept the attack with your clones."

"In other words use them as meat shields in case something goes wrong. I know how to guard a VIP, It's not like I don't have the experience." He replied coldly, "Besides, what's with the need for the security? It's not like we have any known and active enemies that would attack…"

Anko raised her eyebrow at Naruto's dark tone, "Well there is always a chance that some unknown assailant will use this transition as an opportunity to strike. We don't want to take any chances and the whole thing is being kept under the utmost secrecy. No one even knows who the next Hokage will be; the only people who know are the village elders and the current Hokage himself. That's also why we're counting on you to handle the majority of the coliseum security yourself. The fewer people that know the inner workings of the security, the safer this event will be. Now, let me walk you through the schedule of the event…"

Many hours later Naruto dragged himself home, tired and sore. Anko had gotten angry when he asked too many questions and proceeded to beat him with a wooden sword for a good half and hour. He would be going back every day for the rest of the week to work on finer details as well as review the plan for the ceremony, not exactly Naruto's idea of a good time.

The front door swung open, the floorboards creaking as he entered the dim and quiet house. The sun was going to start setting soon though Sakura would not be home for another hour or so. He shed his shoes by the front door and unzipped his shirt and jacket, dropping them in the hamper as he we walked towards the ladder that lead to the roof. Heaving the glass door open, he stepped into the cool air that danced across his bare chest.

There was something relaxing about the sound of splashing water in the fountain and the smell of flowers that filled the air. Naruto and Sakura often came up here to cool off after a fight or to spend a romantic moment together. Tending to the garden was soothing to Naruto's soul, and because of this, the garden was always lush and healthy. He methodically trimmed dead buds used his hands to water the plants, scooping it from the fountain and letting the cool liquid trickle between his fingers, slipping from his grasp. Sighing, the young man gave up and stretched out on the wooden bench, gazing up at the sky. The sky was on fire, the sun setting and clouds making their gentle march over the horizon, a relaxing scene; one that Shikamaru would probably enjoy on a daily basis.

Naruto became so lost in his thoughts and the sky above him that he didn't even notice that Sakura had returned home. She tapped lightly on the open glass door, "Hey..." she called out, Naruto turned his head and sat up on the bench, "Sorry I'm a little late, it took a while to get the ramen for dinner. I swear that place gets more popular every day." She sat down next to him rubbing her hands up and down his bare back, "You upset and your back is all tense, what happened?"

"Maybe dreams are like a pool of water…You can look at them, bath in them, even hold them in your hand, but if you try to grasp it, it just slips between your fingers…" he sighed.

"….Naruto, what happened? Is it about whatever Kakashi-sama had to talk to you about?" She climbed behind him, rubbing the tense muscles of his back.

Naruto slouched over more and let Sakura massage his back, "They're announcing the new Hokage next week…"

Sakura's eyebrow arched, "oh? And?"

Naruto sighed, "Kakashi told me I'm to help with the security of the ceremony. To make sure no one tries to assassinate the next Hokage."

Sakura frowned and pulled herself against Naruto's back, her arms wrapping around his neck. "I'm sure that's not the news you were hoping to get today…"

"Yeah, you could say that…"

"It's alright to cry, if you want to…" she said in a muffled voice, her face buried in the back of his neck.

"I think I've cried enough for today," he replied coldly. An awkward silence passed between the two before Sakura finally pulled herself around and kissed the side of his neck.

"You know, you're not making things very easy for me." She whispered into his ear.

Naruto turned his head, confused, "What do you mean by that?"

"I made a promise to you this morning did I not?" she smirked, "That's our way of the ninja,"

"I don't think I'm really in the mood right now…" he sighed,

"You don't have a choice this time fox-boy," as she bit down on his neck, hard. Naruto let out a shudder, his will to resist slipping away. Sakura's hand slid down his bare chest and slipped into his pants. The blonde's toes curled as he shivered in sensation as Sakura's cool hand slid around his manhood. His fingers desperately grasped the edge of the stool as her thin hand slid up and down his length, her mouth making short work of his neck.

Naruto's hands slipped behind his back and between Sakura's legs. Pushing her panties aside he ran his finger up and down along her slit. Sakura growled, "Put them in!" she demanded. Naruto hungrily attacked her pink lips, biting her lower lip and sucking on it as his fingers pushed inside his lover's womanhood. Sakura happily moaned in pleasure and stroked Naruto faster, rocking her hips against Naruto's hand. The awkward angle was killing Naruto's hand so he released his lover's lips and turned around on the bench to face her. His fingers continues to tug and pull at Sakura's velvety insides as his thumb rubbed her clit bringing about melodious moans from his pink-haired companion. When his teeth sank into her collar, her hips gave way, lifting up with the motion' of Naruto's hand. She pulled herself against his chest with one arm as her other stroked Naruto's member, drunk with passion. Naruto's fingers dove deeper into Sakura, gently twisting back and forth, touching every spot Sakura had within herself.

The clouds in the darkening sky now loomed overhead and the first glisten of a springtime shower touched the lover's skin. Naruto cradled his Sakura in one arm and pulled open the front of her robes with the other letting her subtle curves out. The first droplet of rain splashed across Sakura's skin as she moaned, "Naruto, please…" The droplets came in pairs now, rolling down their faces as Naruto removed his hand from between Sakura's legs as she pushed herself above him. She smiled as she rubbed herself against the tip of his member, "Brings back memories…" Naruto just smiled back with those cerulean eyes and lifted himself up into his lover. Her back arched as the rain now started to pour down onto them, her hands finding his back, fingers clawing at his skin. She pulled his face between her breasts as the two rocked back and forth, thrusting against one other.

Naruto's arms wrapped under Sakura's and grasped her shoulders from behind; pulling her against him with each passion filled thrust. Sakura's hands clawed at Naruto's shoulders as she rammed herself against him. Steam rose off their bodies from the rain rolling across their hot skin as they approached their climax. Breaths became short and harsh as Naruto's thick manhood pumped in and out of Sakura's petite body. Their pace quickened, frantically trying to get as close as possible. Finally Sakura felt her body convulse, burying her face in Naruto's hair she screamed as her orgasm overtook her. At the same time Naruto pulled down on Sakura, burying himself deep inside her as his seed erupted inside his lover.

The two sat there, together as one, Naruto's sperm leaking out of Sakura with his manhood still sheathed inside her. Their breath became more calm and their heartbeat slower; basking in the afterglow. All Sakura could manage was "Yes…" as her hands slid down his chest, leaning back to look at her man. Those wonderful eyes poked through rain-soaked hair, teeming with emotion and devotion. His hands took her face, "Thank you, my little blossom." He smiled, pulling his lips to hers, pulling her close.

--

"You know, I told you I wasn't in the mood" Naruto said coyly, shoving ramen noodles into his mouth.

Sakura squeezed the water from her hair with a towel, "You didn't exactly put up too much of fight. Besides, you were getting all depressed on me and I couldn't let that happen."

"Myeah I…" he started, still sporting a mouthful of noodles.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." She ordered

Naruto swallowed, "Sorry Sakura-chan. Yeah I know I was being depressing, its just such a frustrating situation. Thanks for being there; I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes."

"I don't either, someone has to feed and dress you. You'd probably be wearing that same old grungy jacket if it wasn't for my superior fashion sense." She laughed.

"This coming from a half soaked woman, lying on the floor of her living room, eating take-out ramen in her bra and panties?" Naruto laughed.

Sakura just rolled her eyes, "Touché'" as she crawled over and rested her head against his bare chest, "Try not to let it bother you, they probably just feel you're too young still. If I know Tsunade-sama, and I do, she'll make sure you become Hokage within her lifetime."

The blond groaned, "At that rate she's going I won't be Hokage for another 50 years!"

"Hey! That's my sensei you're talking about" Sakura complained, tapping Naruto in the chest with her fist. Unfortunately "tapping" for Sakura meant possible internal bleeding and a trip to a hospital. Luckily Naruto was used to taking such abuse and Kyuubi handled most of the repairs, despite Naruto's sharp grunt from the pain from the blow. "Oh, sorry…"

He just held up his hand, "It's fine, the bruising will subside," rubbing his chest gingerly.

Sakura nuzzled against his skin, "If it's any consolation, it's not like anyone doesn't recognize your abilities. Not just in Konoha, but across the nations. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn't at least heard your name. You have great friends who are willing to fight by your side no matter what. And you have a woman who loves you very much, even when you're being depressed and annoying," She smiled.

Naruto sighed, "Yea I know you're right, I am very happy with what I've gained in my life. It's just hard to let something like that go when your entire life has been in pursuit of that goal. I just can't live with that sense of…un-fulfillment I guess"

"Just because your dream isn't completely fulfilled right now, doesn't mean it won't happen. It's not like you need to give it up Naruto, just be patient, you never know what may happen. I have faith in you, and you should have faith in yourself, if you didn't then you just wouldn't be Naruto, am I wrong?"

With a smirk, "I suppose that's true," sipping the last drip of Ramen broth from his bowl, "Though I think I'm feeling…un-fulfilled in other areas too…"

Sakura shot him a dangerous look, "You told me before that you weren't in the mood!"

"Well," he admitted, "You said so yourself that I wasn't putting up much of a fight, and Sakura-chan is always right…"

"Well at least we agree on that much," she smirked, "You're obvious about sucking up but at least you know what to say." Pulling her scantily clad body against him, sending shivers down the blonde's spine, "Good, I'm not quite done with you either" licking his chest.

--

Naruto had been wondering why Kakashi had given them a week to organize security but quickly understood why when he returned the next day to work with Anko. Apparently Kakashi had been so busy with preparations for the ceremony that Anko was feeling…neglected. In the course of 10 hours she made 36 separate attempts to tie Naruto up and do god knows what with him. All in all hardly anything got done and Naruto now realized why this was going to take a whole week to pull off.

Nonetheless he endured the whole week of abuse and in the end preparations were complete and Naruto found himself standing at the main event. Kakashi and the other Village elders stood on a small stage in the center of the coliseum along with several members of ANBU, Anko, and of course the real Naruto, ready to use his Shadow Cone Jutsu if necessary. In addition there were also ANBU operatives strategically stationed in the crowd in case something was to go wrong. Behind the Elders, the new Hokage was robed in a Konoha traditional cloak, head and face covered under a hood and hat making his or her identity impossible to determine. Naruto was on edge, partly because he didn't want anything to go wrong and partly because he wanted to know who the next Hokage could be. Kakashi then stepped up to the microphone, "Uh...testing? One two three…whatever. Welcome everyone…As you know the next Hokage will be announced today…"

Naruto was racking his brain, frantically thinking of possible candidates. Shikamaru would have been a good choice but he would have never agreed to do it and it was doubtful Temari would allow him to anyways.

"…I really don't like speeches so I won't set here and bore you with the formalities."

Neji? He certainly had the skills and abilities but his personality was a bit…flat. Besides the idea of Neji wearing the Hokage outfit seemed ridiculous.

"The person we have selected has protected our village time and time again, and even surpassed those who trained him…."

Lee? ….no, that would be...so utterly wrong.

"Therefore from this day forth, the new Hokage of Konoha Village will be…" Utter silence blanketed the crowd,

Choj...no, who was he kidding? The only real possibility was..

"Naruto Uzumaki".

Half of the crowd cheered while the other gasped in shock as Naruto collapsed to the ground. "What happened? An attack?" ordered an ANBU officer rushing over to Naruto's limp body.

Kakashi blinked, "Well, didn't see that one coming…"

"Well if you had just told him last week like you were supposed to…" scolded Shikamaru who had been standing off to the side of the stage.

"I wanted to surprise him, is that so bad?"

"Not when all of these people think their new Hokage just got assassinated…"

"…Oh…He is alive, right?" Kakashi asked the ANBU medical officer who was helping Naruto back to his feet as the crowd erupted in applause. "Seems he got a little too excited there," Kakashi laughed nervously into the microphone as Naruto looked around, confused.

"What just happened?" he asked.

"You've been chosen to be the next Hokage," came a voice from behind him. Naruto spun around to face Sakura, clothed in the Hokage's robes, hat in hand.

"S-Sakura? You knew about this the whole time?" Naruto stammered.

She smiled, "Sorry I didn't tell you before, but it was under Kakashi's orders."

Kakashi cleared his throat, "So Naruto Uzumaki, do you accept your role as the 7th Hokage of our village?" Tears welled up in the blonde's eyes are he tried to force the words past his knotted throat but he only managed a very enthusiastic nod of the head. Kakashi's eyes smiled, "I'll take that as a yes then."

"Well in that case," started Sakura placing the Hokage's Fire hat on Naruto's head and draped the robes across the back of his shoulders, "These belong to you now, Naruto-sama, Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village." Naruto was still unable to speak as he visibly held back his tears. Sakura wrapped her pale arms around his neck, pulling him close and whispering in his ear, "You know it's ok if you want to cry in happiness." Naruto lost it, coughing as the tears broke free and rushed down his face. "Now turn and face the people of our village."

Naruto took Sakura's hand in his own and turned around to a standing ovation from everyone in the village. Wiping the ears from his still leaking eyes, he found himself still unable to muster any words. Instead his signature grin appeared on his face as he gave thumbs up to the roar of the crowd. Above the crowd rose two flamboyant green beasts and retuned the hand gesture back to the new Hokage. "FOR NARUTO" roared Lee and Gai louder than anyone in the crowd, "NICE GUY POSE!"


	6. Movement VI: Crescendo

It had been nearly 10 hours since Naruto's coronation ceremony

People often search for meaning in everything. They come up with words like 'fate' and 'destiny' to justify their existence. Perhaps it brings them comfort to believe that things happen for a reason, or that pretending to know the purpose of others actions gives them some sort of control. They bank so much in the meaning of things that when they come to realize the truth, they no longer want to understand how the world works. Meaning is obtained, not inertly given for merely existing. People don't need a reason behind their actions. Sometimes things just happen, without logic or meaning. Actions must be given meaning by those who carry them out, lest they plunge into chaos and become the demon of their meaningless existence.

Movement VI

Crescendo

It had been nearly 10 hours since Naruto's coronation ceremony. A local bar offered for Naruto and his friends to use the building for a private party that evening and the group had been celebrating for several hours. Kiba had made the mistake of challenging to new Hokage to a drinking game and was now passed out on the bar floor. Naruto barely ever drank, but somehow had an incredibly high tolerance, despite his inexperience. He barely felt the effects of the alcohol even as he helped a very embarrassed Hinata heave Kiba onto Akamaru's back.

"Thank you, he always insists on these drinking games even though I ask him not to," Hinata sighed to Naruto, "He always ends up like this, and then _it _doesn't work. It just causes problems for everyone!"

"Huh? It?" Naruto replied, cocking his head in confusion, "What doesn't work?"

Hinata just blushed and motioned Akamaru towards the door, "Well we should probably head home now, congratulations Naruto, I'm so proud of you!" as she threw her arms around his neck, pulling the blond into a tight embrace and planting a kiss on his cheek.

Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her seat, eyeing Hinata jealously. She never liked bars in the first place and abhorred drinking in general, seeing her husband getting so much attention was pushing her limits. Sakura's protectiveness of Naruto had started mostly before they were even involved romantically with one another. Two years of solitude without seeing him was far harder than she expected. When he finally did come back, she knew if she didn't hold on with every last ounce of strength, he too, might slip away from her again.

Mentally kicking herself for acting like a jealous child, Sakura offered an uneasy smile to Hinata. Sakura didn't release her death grip on her stool until Hinata finally let go of Naruto and led Akamaru and Kiba out of the bar.

When he returned to his seat, Sakura got up and plopped down in his lap. It wasn't exactly in her character to publicly show this sort of affection but she felt the need to reassert who Naruto belonged to.

Naruto gladly welcomed the attention Sakura was giving him and snuggled close to her. Shikamaru who was sitting nearby rolled his eyes, "If only that much was enough to suffice for my wife. Seems like every time I turn around she wants something and then expects me to deliver tenfold! It's such a pain in the ass if you ask me…"

"No one asked you, besides its not her fault if you can't deliver. I feel bad for poor Temari, stuck with a man who can't satisfy her needs" chided Ino.

Shiamaru scoffed, "What are you talking about? As a matter of fact I'm very good at satis…"

"Uhg whatever, I have to go to the bathroom." As she waved a pudgy hand over her shoulder.

"That woman," Shikarau groaned, "has to be so open about things like that…" It was then that a very drunk Tenten practically fell into Shikamaru's lap. If it had not been for Neji's steady hands to catch her, all of them would have tumbled to the floor.

"Don't let her get to you Shiky! You're a great guy! Just like Naruto and Kiba! Aww man let me tell you about that Kiba, if he hadn't asked me to distract Neji so he could sneak off with Hinata, I dunno what I would have done! I had been needing an excuse to molest this guy here for years!" she elbowed Neji in the side who was desperately trying to become invisible.

"You know, I'm going to go wash my hands and ears out, I'll be right back…" moaned an exasperated Shikamaru.

Neji quickly jumped to his feel, "Good idea I'll join you…" he eagerly offered practically running from the group, his face becoming increasingly red. After out of earshot, Neji remarked quietly, "Tenten should not be speaking of such things so openly…"

"Don't let it bother you, pretty much everyone here tonight has some sort of strange sex life. They're all too embarrassed by their own dark secrets to really criticize you for yours." Shikamaru remarked pushing the bathroom door open and reaching for the sink, "Besides mostly everyone there was wasted anyways, they won't remember a thing come tomorrow." Letting the hot water run over his hands.

Suddenly a crashing sound came from one of the stalls and Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and cried out, clawing at his eyes. Shakamrui just continued looking at the water run across the surface of his hands and sighed, "Just make sure you two clean up when you're done."

Ino's head appeared from the furthest stall, "MIND YOUR OWN BUISNESS!"

"Whatever." Shikamaru waved over his shoulder, pushing the bathroom door open and heading back to his seat. Neji scurried after him, tears running down his face that could only beg to ask the question "Why Me?!" As they approached their seats, Shikamaru noticed a child sitting on his stool. "Selene."

"Mommy sent me to tell you that if you don't get your butt home right now she's going to beat you in your sleep again!" snapped Shikamaru's eldest daughter.

"…This is a bar, children aren't allowed in here. Go home." Grunted the Shadow Ninja.

Selene's eyes narrowed as she pointed to the door.

"…Yes Ma'am" groaned Shikamaru taking his daughter's hand who practically dragged him out the door. He waved over his shoulder "Oye Naruto, congrats, I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"Aha! That Shiky sure is a henpecked husband! Even his kids order around!" laughed Tenten who was quickly losing her ability to stand.

Sakura smiled, "No, he just understands that its better to trust a woman's judgment over his own. Isn't that right Naruto?"

He shrugged, "Sakura-chan is always right anyways, so its better just to listen to her."

Sakura kissed him on the cheek, "I've trained you well. Say, does anyone know where Lee went? I haven't seen him since earlier today."

"Lee couldn't make it," answered Neji quietly, "He's convinced himself that being even near alcohol will make him go berserk, so he didn't come to the bar." Right at that moment Tenten lost control of her stomach all over the front of Neji's robes.

"Oh geeze I'm sorry baby, well I feel a lot better now, so the sex will be better tonight ok?" Tenten struggled, wiping her mouth with Neji's sleeve.

The Hyuga just sighed, "Lets just focus on getting you home first ok?"

"Hmm whatever you say baby…" Tenten cooed as a very disgusted Neji carried her out of the bar.

With their departure, the bar was starting to feel eerily empty and Naruto and Sakura decided it was best to head home. They bid their farewells and thank-you's to the remaining friends at the bar and went on their way home.

Soon after at the front door, Naruto steadied himself against the wall and looked out across the moonlit village as Sakura dug through her bag for the keys. The sky was scattered with clouds, their moonlight shadows creeping across the village like a silent army. And then there was a glimpse of something in a distant alley, raven hair with orbs of red below. Naruto rubbed his eyes, blinking, but whatever he saw had vanished.

"Something wrong?" asked his wife,

"No nothings wrong, just had a bit too much to drink I think, that's all" he half-heartedly chuckled.

Sakura scoffed and pushed the blond through the front door, "I told you it was a bad idea to begin with. I don't know how you can stand that wretched drink. We best get you to bed, move along now!"

Several drowsy minutes later, Naruto was tucked under the covers in his warm bed. Sakura slid in beside him, throwing her pale arms around his neck.

"You know," she smiled deviously, tracing her finger around Naruto's chest, "I wonder what it feels like to have hot late night sex with a Hokage…"

Offering a half grin, "I'm not Hokage quite yet you know"

Sakura smirked, slipping up and straddling her man, "Now you are" motioning to the glowing 12:01 on the bedside clock.

Naruto just chuckled, "Somehow you're always right" letting Sakura's tongue slip into his mouth to silence his own as his hands slipped under her shirt.

--

It was 2:34, the glowing red numbers burned into Naruto's eyes. Despite being exhausted, he couldn't sleep the night before the first day at work. He looked down at the sleeping woman in the crook of his arm. Her naked form, still glistening with sweat and moonlight creeping between the shutters soothed his bloodshot eyes. He took a lock of her hair in his hand and pressed it to his nose, inhaling her unique aroma. The smell reminded him of the long weeks at her bedside after the attack and her operation. She had told him to go home and get some rest in a proper bed numerous times, but try as he might, only the alluring scent of his cherry blossom's hair could lull him to sleep.

Even so he was haunted by nightmares of the attack, the memories, the smell of blood and sounds of Sakura's cries. He felt himself obsessing over the event, and every time he saw Sakura's wounds and scars he was consumed more and more by the hellfire of revenge. Uchiha Itachi. The one that had almost taken everything away from him was still out there, still drawing breath from a sky he did not deserve to enjoy.

Soon after Sakura was released from the hospital and returned home, information arrived on the location of Itachi. Naruto didn't even tell Sakura, he just said that he'd return later that evening after he took care of some errands. The start of it all, Uchiha Itachi, the reason of sole much pain and suffering, would now end by Naruto's hand.

He left without permission, he wouldn't have been given it nor did he need it. He went alone, he didn't need anyone else, this was his job to do now; for Sakura… for Sasuke.

--

Naruto's back was to a tree facing away from his opponent, blood dripped down his left arm and leg, but he was still whole. Weapons and blood scattered the destroyed battlefield, Itachi stood atop a boulder awaiting Naruto's next attack. He had suffered a few more wounds than Naruto but still held the upper hand in this fight. Suddenly Naruto swung around the tree, taking care to avoid Itachi's eyes as he threw a flash bomb at Itachi's feet. AS the blinding white light erupted, Itachi was forced to cover his eyes and instantly scores of Naruto clones were on top of him. "Uzimaki Naruto Advanced Combo: Barrage!"

"Pathetic" remarked Itachi, immediately forming a string of hand seals, resulting in the fiery death of all the clones. The real Naruto was blown back against a large tree, blood now running down his singed skin. Itachi was immediately on top of Naruto, pinning him against the tree, red orbs flashing from beneath his raven hair.

"Shit!" Naruto quickly formed a seal and vanished.

"What the.." grunted a confused Itachi

"Behind you!" roared Naruto as his blade came around Itachi's head, the tip burying itself in his forehead. Naruto dragged the blade down with the sickening sound of blade in flesh, Itachi's right eye being ripped open by the kunai.

Itachi whipped around, his right eye gone and the blood pouring down his face blinding the left. "What the hell did you do? My Mangekyou couldn't see your movements."

Naruto appeared behind Itachi again "Who said anything about moving?" kicking the back of Itachi's leg, Naruto grabbed a handful of that raven hair and brought Itachi to his knees. Pushing his head down over a kunai stuck in the ground, its judgmental blade pointing at Itachi's face. "I will make you pay for everything you've done!"

"What? You?" Itachi scoffed, "You don't have it in you. You're still just the pathetic kid that grows into the good guy that everyone loves because you always do what's right. You won't kill me, not a former Konoha shinobi."

Naruto's eyes grew dark and his voice went cold as he leaned down and whispered into Itachi's ear, "I took my best friend's head in my hand and squeezed until I crushed his skull and tore his face from his body. I watch him die as his hot blood ran down my arm…Do you honestly think that you mean ANYTHING to me?"

Itachi's voice softened, "So Sasuke is dead? Then I truly have failed, there's really no reason for me to continue living."

"Then Die" Naruto sneered, shoving Itachi's head down onto the kunai.

--

That was it. There was no dramatic ending, no victory fanfare. Just the lifeless corpse of Uchiha Itachi on the ground, his blood on Naruto's hands. Naruto didn't remember much of what happened after that, just arriving at the gates of Kohoha, dragging the body behind him. He remembered Sakura being there, crying, asking him what he had done. Naruto just dropped to his knees, a bloody and scratched headband tightly in his grasp, "I finished it." Were the last words he uttered before collapsing from fatigue and his wounds.

He had woken up a few days later in the hospital, Sakura at his bedside, her eyes still red from tears. Later he was sent on a mandatory vacation, no words of thanks or congratulations were given, he didn't want them nor deserved them. This was the life of a Shinobi, to kill or be killed. Meaning? Perhaps not, but Naruto tried to reassure himself that it was for those who could not defend themselves, those who suffered, those who felt pain. He wanted to protect everyone, perhaps a foolish and impossible desire, but nonetheless he wanted it. Still, first he would start with just one person as he stroked Sakura's cheek. Just one is a good start. And with that he finally drifted off to sleep.


	7. Movement VII: Fugue

This world is full of a wide array of people, each with their own hopes, dreams, aspirations, and beliefs. Some people believe that there is a god that watches over us, whether to punish or reward us for our actions. Some believe there are maybe gods, each with their own purpose and reason to exist and rule. Others believe that there is no god, that such thoughts belong to the weak willed and minded. Some people are unsure of what they believe in, may it be irrelevant to life or they simply don't care. Personally I don't know if I believe in a single "true" god or a multitude of gods and deities. One thing I do believe in is angels, and I don't mean wings of light and golden spears. When I see an angel, I see a boy helping an old woman across the street. I see a woman offer a warm drink to a homeless man on a winter night. I see two politicians setting aside their differences to work towards a common goal.

It's easy to be bitter and irritated with people and the world. We live in a dark world, filled with corruption and greed, and around every corner lurks another reason to hate humanity. But the truth is that regardless of what we believe, regardless of what we look like, what we stand for, and what drives our ambition, we're all stuck on this planet together. If you want to be angry and bitter and hate the world, be my guest, but understand that you're part of the problem too. As dark as this world has become, instead of being angry, open your eyes and see the angels. Don't spend your life worrying about who's going to stab you in the back, instead live your life so that when you look in the mirror, you see and angel too. Do you want to know what I believe in? I believe in a dream that even though it may seem the darkest hour of an eternal night, that humanity will come together and work towards a brighter dawn. What do I believe in?

Hope.

---

Symphony Paradise

Movement VII: Fugue

Ba-Dum

Her heart was throbbing; struggling to push the seemingly icy sludge of blood through her veins.

Ba-Dum

The sickening sound of metal, slithering from it sheathe; light glinting from the sun.

Ba-Dum

"Can someone who can't even save one of his friends…"

Ba-Dum

"…Become Hokage?"

Ba-Dum

Her throat clogged up, threatening to burst from her neck.

Ba-Dum

Tears clawed from under her eyes as the sun reflected off the blade. She didn't know it then…

Ba-Dum

…but the edge of that blade was slicing through the remainder of her past. As it cut through the air, what remained of Sakura's childhood passions died and faded away. In that moment, at least deep down, she understood that nothing would even be the same, save the man about to be pierced by that wretched blade. The name gathered on her tongue and pressed against the inside oh her lips, fighting, struggling to force their way out and dance on the wind. "Nar…"

Bzz-Bzz

Sakura's eyes cracked open, slats of morning light harassed her eyes which closed tightly in resistance.

Bzz-Bzz

Damn alarm, why hadn't Naruto turned it off? "Oye you…" she grunted, flailing her arm on Naruto's side of the bed, "Turn off the…" but the space beside her was empty. With cocked head and cracked eyes she rolled over and brought her fist down on the buzzing alarm which immediately stopped making noise due to the fact it was now in pieces. Ignoring the wreckage, her hand snatched the white card propped against the bedside lamp. Her eyes protested and struggled to focus on the nearly illegible handwriting.

_Went into work early, didn't want to wake you up. Breakfast is on the table. Love you; see you when I get home tonight my little one._

_--Your Baka_

Idiot sure is right, rubbing her eyes and smirking. Her arm flopped down on the cool sheets beside her and struggled to find the energy to move. She had gotten more than enough sleep and didn't drink at all last night yet the fatigue seems to hold her to the bed. She lay there for a good ten minutes before one leg managed to slide out from under the sheets and hang lazily off the side of the mattress. The second didn't follow for another few minutes and then soon after the pinkette was dragging herself down the hall, steadying her half-limp body against the wall.

Slipping into the kitchen, eyeing the peanut buttered toast on the table. Slumping into the chair and scooping up a slice, she greedily stuffed the bread in her mouth and in an instant, the plate was clean. Her stomach complained in hunger but Sakura felt too lazy to bother making anything else. In defeat, she made her way towards the bathroom in hopes that the steam would somehow rouse her from her morning stupor.

The hot water was soon caressing her scalp and soothing her sore muscles. Despite the fact that she had been taking it easy lately, Sakura felt drained and sick. Normally she didn't get sick, but maybe she picked up something at the hospital. She only hoped she hadn't given it to Naruto, then again, that boy never got sick, potentially due to Kyuubi's influence. Luckily Sakura felt better as she stepped out of the shower and dried herself, admiring herself in the mirror; a body that Naruto insisted she be comfortable with, and it had worked. It was truly a form worthy of the touch of the very hot and sexy Hokage. She chuckled and shook her head, ashamed of her daydreams and overconfidence; dropping the towel on the floor she walked back into the bedroom. They had a rule at home; no one was allowed to cover up after a shower. This was of course for the personal pleasure of their significant other who was watching, but the habit seemed to follow even when she was alone.

Checking her calendar, Sakura groaned, PHYSICAL FOLLOWUP EXAM 1:00PM. Damn follow-up exams, she didn't see the need for them, especially in her case, but at the least she could pick up some antibiotics for this cold while she was there. Checking the wall-clock, Sakura groaned, "11:42 already? How long had that alarm been going off? I must have been really out of it…" she thought to herself. Perhaps she could bring Naruto lunch for his first day and then head over to the hospital for that ridiculous follow-up exam. Then it struck her, a devilish grin crept across her face as she decided what to wear. She blushed in anticipation as the closet doors swung open; "Oh Mrs. Uzumaki, you dirty little fox…" chimed Sakura's inner self.

12:13 PM – Hokage Tower

The new Hokage groaned, orange robes pooled on the ground and a pair of boots kicked up on top of the desk. From the looks of it, Kakashi had not been keeping up with the paper work for the last few months, and as a result, Naruto was starting at a desk half covered with stacks of scrolls and papers.

Naruto hated very few things in the world, and reading was one of them. Sakura of course would sit with a book for hours, much to dismay of an attention hungry Naruto. But of course, here he was on the first day of the job, and the only thing he could do is read through boring paperwork. Kakashi and Shikamaru were nowhere to be found, despite reluctant promises that they would be there to help with the transition. In fact the only visitor he had all day was an overly concerned Ino, who felt the need to barge in and complain about the new Hokage being a lard ass. Resisting the urge to make a snide reply, he managed to shoo her away with a stack of papers to organize and the hope that she wouldn't return for several more hours.

Leaning back in his chair and letting the warmth of the midday sun bath his face, Naruto's eyes started to drift shut. Suddenly a knock came at the door and his eyes snapped open, "Come in!" chimed the young Hokage. The loneliness of working in the office alone all day had taken its toll, and the sound of a visitor was more than a joy to his ears. To his pleasure, his favorite pair of pale legs emerged through the doorway. Sakura was wearing the black skirt that always made her lover squirm and to top it off was carrying a Ramen Take-Out box. Whether Naruto was salivating more from the food or the one carrying it, he did not know, nonetheless a wide grin found its way to his face.

"Good afternoon Hokage-sama. I have brought your mid-day meal; I hope that it pleases you. If not I will be happy to accommodate you to the best of my abilities." Spoke a stern faced Sakura.

The young Hokage's smile faded from his face as an eerie silence filled the room. Azure eyes met Jade as the awkward tension grew as thick as smoke. It was Sakura who broke first; a thin grin crept across her face which erupted into laughter. Naruto followed suit, letting himself laugh freely as he stood up from his desk and taking Sakura into his arms. Lips met in a kiss and parted in a smile. "What's with the formality?" he laughed.

"Well you are the big shot Hokage now, shouldn't you be treated like one?" she giggled.

"Hmm oh I think you treat me good enough as it is, why change perfection?" motioning to the ramen sitting on the desk.

"Well I thought I'd bring you lunch since it is your first day, don't get used to it though! Besides I'm just stopping by for lunch before heading off for the follow up to my Physical I had a while back."

Well she wore the wrong skirt today then. "No no, this simple won't do. I'm very displeased. You did say you'll accommodate me to the best of your abilities right?" Hands gripping her hip, he pushed her against the hard wood surface of the oak desk.

Sakura's eyes widened, "What?! Here? Now? What if someone comes in?! You're the Hokage for god's sake, you need to uphold a certain level of re…re…. responsi… bility…" God he was biting her neck, she left it wide open and he dove right in there and took advantage of it. How could she have been so stupid? She was well aware that he knew of her weak spots, and now her fingers were digging into his back as she stifled her moans. Already juices were flowing down her leg and…oh hell, screw it. "Alright fine, just hurry so we don't get cau….ohhhhh" she moaned as Naruto's long fingers slipped up her skirt, past her panties, and slowly pushed aside fold after fold of flesh. Her toes curled in pleasure as her legs lifted from the ground and wrapped themselves around Naruto's hind side, pulling herself against his hand.

Waves of warm pleasure washed over her body, softly lapping at her lips as a low and quiet moan trembled and fell from the soft pink blossoms. Their sweat smelt of the sea, salty waters crashing against the shore. Her lips took his neck, the taste of his skin, the sound of his moan, the pulse of his hands caressing her body; all made Sakura lose herself to desire as he hands slipped further down his body. Her cool touch on his member made Naruto shudder in numbing pleasure. Their lips met and tongues danced, their desire tasted of warm chocolate, dark and rich as the night. Her legs parted to welcome her lover once again, dripping with nectar of passion as she guided him in.

Slowly he filled her, parting the walls of her velvet escape; her toes curling tighter with every inch. His armed wrapped around her waist, cradling her, holding his lover against his body. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply the intoxicating aroma of flowers and honey. Her voice sung into his ear, "Naruto-kun…" as the young man smiled and started to move. Starting slowly, the two lovers rocked against each other, taking in every last ounce of sensation as they glided together as one. Their skin was wet with sweat and tingled as their two bodies moved against one another, slowly quickening the pace. Naruto bit his lip in an attempt to stay quiet but I low and husky grunt still managed to escape with each thrust.

Sakura grew more and more excited with each sensual sound that escaped her partner's lips. Legs tightened as her pleasure escalated, building like a river against a dam. Pulling her head back she looked right into her lover's eyes, deep and blue like the endless sky. She could get lost in those eyes; soar forever in the intent gaze that looked back at her.

Finally the urge to cry out in pleasure overtook her. She bit down on Naruto's bare shoulder in an attempt to stifle her screams. Torrents of pleasure flooded though her veins her body as her orgasm burst forth from her body. Her toes curled, legs tightened pulling her lover against her. Her muffled voice screaming his name as her teeth sank deeper into his shoulder. Naruto's eyes rolled into the back of his head in pleasure, his fingers tugging at the fabric of Sakura's shirt. He buried his face in her hair as he let out a satisfied moan he climaxed. She could feel the warmth of his seed fill her, the calming sensation slowly pushing through her body, tickling her spine and filling her spirits.

She held him then, rolling back onto the desk with the blond wedged between her thighs as not to spill a single drop. Hot breath raking across each others' neck, eyes locked together sharing a goofy smile. He reached out and stroked her face, brushing a loose hair out of her face, "I love you Sakura-chan."

She smirked at his child playfulness, "I love you Naruto-kun" suddenly her eyes flicked over to the clock, 12:53, "Crap! I'm going to be late for my doctor's appointment at 1:00!" she released Naruto, letting him pull out and fall in a heap in his chair.

"Relax, you have plenty of time to get there…" he teased zipping his pants up.

"Naruto!" She panicked as she tried her best to straighter her clothes, "It's practically half way across the village! I knew I shouldn't have let you talk me into sex!" It was a lie though, she got exactly what she came for, but she decided to let Naruto sweat it out a bit anyways.

"Back to Naruto are we? What happened to Hokage-sama?" though his jest was met with a stern look, Naruto simply chuckled, "Besides, you're a ninja, everyone knows you can get from any point to another in the village in less than two minutes, it's just a fact of life!" he smiled nervously.

Sakura glared, "It better be for your sake," pushing him back into this chair and leaning down seductively, pressing her lips to his, "We'll have to continue this later tonight," she smirked, spinning around and rushing out the door towards the hospital.

---

12:55 PM – Konoha General Hospital

"Oh Mrs. Uzumaki, please enter Exam Room 3, the doctor will be there shortly" smiled the nurse at the front desk. As she walked down the hall towards the room, Sakura prayed no one noticed the fresh aroma of sex on her skin. Granted she had been married for a number of years and it was only natural, but at the same time she was still bashful about it at times. Opening the door, Sakura walked into the small room and sat do on the edge of the bed. Even though she had been in these types of rooms thousands of times, somehow it felt cramped and uncomfortable today. The walls were all too close and the air was stagnant and hard to breathe. Trying to shake the grim feeling, she rose to her feet and was quickly overtaken by nausea. She slowly lowered herself back down, the cheap paper crinkling under her weight as she lay down on the bed in hopes to ease her stomach. As soon as her eyes slowly drifted close, the sounds of the door opening pulled them back open. She propped herself up the best she could to greet the doctor and cocked her head when Tsunade walked through the door.

"Tsunade-sama? I thought Ino was going to do this?"

"Ino insisted on running off to assist the your husband on his first day, something about 'Those two idiots Shikamaru and Kakashi probably wont even show up to help him on his first day' I swear that girl spends more time over there than she does here, I might as well just get her re-assigned to the Hokage's office. Though I'm not sure I want to torture Naruto that much." She winked

Sakura chuckled softly, "Yeah, Ino likes to be involved, whether you need her help or not"

Tsunade nodded in agreement, "Trust me, I know. Anyways, why are you lying down like that?"

"I guess I'm just overly tired, I overslept this morning but I still feel exhausted. With my luck I'm coming down with something…" she sighed.

Tsunade's expression instantly darkened, "Well…that's what I wanted to talk to you about. The reason I came to talk to you isn't only because of Ino's absence…" Sakura now worried started to sit up but Tsunade motioned for her to lie back down, "the results from your physical came back in and everything looked normal…except for one thing. You see Sakura…" she paused, "…it may be best if you read it yourself."

Sakura reached out and pulled the clipboard from her teacher's hands and frantically scanned down the page. She must have read it 3 or 4 times before it registered in her mind. Coughing as she re-read it again to be sure "POSITIVE" is read, she choked up; tears freely pouring from her eyes, "But….how could this happen? This is impossible…" she started sobbing, "How…how much time..?"

Tsunade shook her head, tears glistening, "It's hard to tell at this point, we'll have to run some more tests first. Still, you need to tell Naruto, he has the right to know what's going to happen to you…"

Sakura tearfully clutched the clipboard and nodded; nothing would ever be the same again.

---

Hokage Tower

12:56 PM

Naruto leaned back in his chair, throwing his arms above his head and enjoying the afterglow of his orgasm as the warm sun streamed in from the open window. …shit. Quickly jumping out of his seat too close the window and make sure that no one had seen in, he came face to face with a very devious looking Kakashi perched in the window sill.

"You've been busy it seems." He chuckled, eye crinkled to reveal the smile beneath the mask.

"How long have you been there?" Naruto demanded

"You know you should really close your window, you never know who may be watching!" he chuckled

Naruto growled, "You better not speak a word of this to her, if she realizes I left the window wide open, you'll be looking for a new Hokage."

He waved his hands defensively, "Oh your secret is safe with me, besides I used to leave the window open all the time when Anko and I…"

Naruto pushed past his old teacher and poked his head out the window looking around. When his gaze came upon a very guilty looking Jirayra jotting notes down in a notebook, Naruto's eyes narrow and he slowly pulled a menacing kunai from his sleeve. Jirayra simply laughed and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Slamming the window shut and drawing the curtains, Naruto flopped down in his chair growling, "Friggin Ero-Sennin, at his age still running around watching perverted stuff like that."

"Oh I wouldn't let it bother you; he used to sit out there when I was Hokage too. In return I got all his newest books before they were even out of the market. My favorite was the tale of a great ruler known as the White Knight, ruling over his forest kingdom with a will of steel and his massive 12 inch…"

"I don't want to hear about it. Besides, you're late! I got here early today so we could go over what I'm supposed to do and you don't even show up till well past noon?!"

Kakashi blinked, "Late? Normally I don't get here till 2 or so, I'm early today. Shikamaru should be here around 2:30 and then we can get started."

Naruto sighed, "Fine whatever, Ino has been helping me most of the morning anyways, trying to catch up with all this paperwork YOU didn't do."

Kakashi took a step back in fear, "Wait you mean SHE'S here today? Oh God," pressing his finger to the radio in his ear, "Shikamaru, the Black Widow is in the nest, abort the mission!"

"Aye aye, I cant understand a word of what you're saying when you shout into the microphone like that," groaned Shikamaru as he pushed open the doors and entered the office, "I decided to go out of my way to come in early to help and you try to make me deaf? Geeze, pain in the ass, now what were you saying?"

"I'm BAAACK!" sung Ino as she strolled through the door, stopping dead in her tracks, "What the hell are you two doing here? You never show up early like this."

"Well umm we decided to show up and make sure Naruto-sama was doing ok…" Kakashi laughed nervously.

"But since you two seem to have everything under control, we'll just be leaving…" mumbled Shikamaru as he strolled towards the door with Kakashi.

"Oh I don't think so," as Ino kicked the door shut, "You two are going to sit and help Naruto catch up on all the paperwork you two have been putting off, he shouldn't have to deal with this on his first day you know," dropping a massive stack of documents and scroll's on the desk.

"Ino, I thought you were supposed to sort through these…" Naruto asked

"Oh, I did" she responded cheerfully

"But…this stack is at least 4 times larger than the one I gave you earlier" he complained

"That's because I added in a bunch of documents I found in the tower's basement next to the brooms. Seems like someone hid them there," she glared at Kakashi

Rubbing his white hair, "Heh heh I was wondering where all of those disappeared to..."

Naruto rubbed his eyes and groaned, "Let's just get this over with…"

Ino clapped her hands together, "Great idea Hokage-sama! You're already more productive than your predecessor!" she chimed cheerfully.

"Well he's certainly trying to be more….Re-Productive!" laughed Kakashi

Naruto's head slammed onto the desk, "You're not helping matters..." groaned Shikamaru

"…sorry"

---

Uzumaki Residence

6:47 PM

Sakura was sitting in the rooftop garden of their home, the wind lustfully playing with her hair. Even now she had trouble accepting what had happened, what she had learned earlier in the day. Naruto needed to be informed, it was his right to know what had happened. She just…didn't know how to say it, how to give the words form and just tell him. How would he react knowing that their future together would be forever changed? Maybe she shouldn't tell him today, not on his first day of being Hokage, she didn't want to…

A strong pair of arms wrapped around Sakura's neck from behind, "Oye oye, you're losing your touch Sakura-chan; you didn't even hear me behind you, did you?"

"Oh, sorry Naruto, I was just spacing out, sorry!" she turned and smiled.

He blinked, "Something wrong?"

"N-no, nothing, I'm just a little tired, that's all"

"You work yourself too hard; you should cut back on your hours a bit. If it's the money you're worried about it's not a problem…"

"No that's not it, but you're right, I'll try to relax and rest some more…"

"I'm right?" he laughed, "you never say I'm right, are you sure you're not getting sick or something?"

Sakura nervously bit her lip, "...No, I'm fine…Anyways, let's go eat dinner and you can tell me about your first day ok?"

Naruto and his stomach both grumbled in agreement and the two walked hand in hand back inside the house.

---

The two sat down for a quiet dinner, it was simple and clean but Sakura hadn't been in the mood to make anything too complicated, her brain occupied with the day's events.

"So, tell me about your day," she started, desperately trying to delay the inevitable.

"Oye, I hope every day isn't like that, it was all paperwork, paperwork, paperwork! Kakashi and Shikamaru left all this work unfinished for me…"

She needed to tell him, but try as she might, her brain didn't know how. Maybe he already thinks something is the wrong…

"…and then he had the nerve to show up late, even though he promised me that he'd come in and show me the ropes!"

No she hadn't been showing any obvious symptoms yet, and she highly doubted Naruto would even know what the symptoms of her condition would be.

"And then Ino came back and had to tie Kakashi and Shikamaru to their chairs in order to get them to help me…"

But the symptoms would start coming soon, and he'd quickly figure out that something was wrong…if she kept it from him that long…

"…though I think Kakashi liked being tied up, since he insisted on being gagged too…weirdo."

Even if he would forgive her for not telling him sooner, she wasn't sure if she would forgive herself for not speaking sooner.

"Then she wouldn't even let us leave until we finished all of it! You should have seen the whole stack, it was like...HUGE!"

It's just that he seemed so excited today about it being his first day as Hokage, living his dream, she just didn't know if now would be the right time to make him deal with her issues.

"She doesn't even officially work there and she treats us like her own personal slaves, ya know?"

No…not tonight, she couldn't do it tonight…

"Sakura?" asked a worried Naruto

"Huh, oh. Sorry I was listening, yeah, seems that woman just likes to push you around, probably because she knows you'll listen to her."

He hung his head in shame, "Story of my life…Oh well, just gotta stay positive and hope tomorrow is better!" he gave a toothy grin.

The image of the clipboard flashed into Sakura's mind, "POSITIVE" it read, in large red letter. Her throat knotted up as she raised her hands to her eyes to cover up the tears that were quickly forming.

"Sakura, are you sure you're ok?" he demanded

"Y-yeah, I'm just really tired, sorry, I wasn't ignoring you. Go on please."

The blond shook his head and yawned, "No no, rest comes first, besides I'm pretty tired too and the rest of the story is pretty boring." Walking around the table he pulled Sakura's chair out, and despite her protests, took her up in his arms and carried her off to the bedroom.

Gingerly laying her on the cool sheets, he kicked off his shoes. Sakura groaned, "Naruto, what about the dishes?"

"Shhh," he pestered, walking over and pulling Sakura's nightgown from the closet and handing it to her, "I'll take care of it in the morning, it's time for sleep ok?" he whispered as he pulled off his shirt and pants, depositing them in the nearby hamper. Reaching out he took her discarded clothes, stealing a glace at her half naked body as she started to pull the nightgown over her head. He smirked deviously as he deposited her clothes in the hamper and turned back to the bed. Sakura was sitting on the side of the bed facing the window as Naruto crawled under the sheets opposite to her.

Looking over confused, Naruto reached across the bed and nudged Sakura, "Sakura?"

"Naruto…I'm sorry," she started sobbing, still facing away from him, "I didn't want to overshadow your first day as Hokage but… I have to tell you something very important."

Naruto shot up and put his hand on her shoulder, "Sakura, what happened? What's going on?"

Sakura turned around slowly; tears were running down her cheeks. A joyful smile adorned her face as she looked right into his eyes.

"I'm pregnant."


	8. Author Notes 112208

Author's Note –11.22.08

Holy shit, its really been 4 months? Geeze, and I'm amazed I didn't get more angry e-mails. What I did get though is a lot of negative feedback on my story-preview from last update. Now normally I'm not in the habit of bending to reader's will, but I got a lot of very insightful feedback. Balancing all of the responses I got, I've decided to delay the Orchard of Mines project, perhaps indefinably. Hopefully the little plot twist at the end of this most recent chapter will please any of you who did like the preview I offered last update.

As a result, I've been bouncing a couple of different ideas around in my head. The first of which is an entirely different story, the details I wont get into since I want to develop it more before I start throwing ideas out hah hah. My other idea is a bit of a supplement to the Gardens Of Rain/Symphony Paradise saga. I've got a lot of requests for the lemon scenes that I implied but never get into detail with. Therefore I've decided to write a separate story consisting of separate chapters containing various pairings from scenes that I mentioned but never described in the series. So yes, you'll be seeing lots of Shikamaru/Temari like their first scene in the forest, Kakashi getting tied up and joyfully raped by Anko for days on end. Kiba/Hinata and Neji/Tenten from Sakura's birthday party plus many other scenes and pairings (And yes, even Choji/Ino, as per request from several of my readers heh heh). I figure Naruto and Sakura get enough attention, so this other story is my way of letting us all enjoy these other pairings. I'm not sure when I'll start all this, but it defiantly will happen at some point.

Author's Note – 7.23.08

Sorry about the really short chapter this update. I had planned to make it considerably longer, but after I wrote what is now the end of the chapter, I decided that was a good place to stop it. I'll make up for lost time in the next couple updates.

I know a lot of you have been trying to patiently wait for an update, and I really apologize for that, I've had to deal with a new job as well as a hand injury which prevented me from getting anything done for quite a while (I mentioned a lot of this in my profile update already). I really appreciate those who leave reviews, expecially the ones that are more in depth and actually tell me specifically what they like or dislike about the chapter. If any of you guys are writers here as well, you know very well how great it feels to see new reviews on your story so please, leave your thoughts with me, I promise I'll respond! From now on I'll probably just post a chapter after each update with my Author's Notes and such for those who want to hear about future updates and previews. Speaking of which, I also briefly mentioned plans for another fanfic in my profile update and I did promise a preview didn't I? Well I had an idea for a scene a long time ago which has now turned into the inspiration for this new fic.

As a result, this scene has been burning a hole in my head and I think now would be a good time to get it out. Keep in mind there might be some changes when I actually write the new fic, but this is a scene from the story nonetheless. Oh and don't worry, this new story is not a threat to Symphony Paradise. I fully intend to finish Symphony Paradise long before I really get into this new story, so no worries alright?

-New Story Preview-

Orchard of Mines

Sakura laughed, "And remember the time when we tricked Kakashi into getting drunk?"

Naruto keeled over laughing, "And then he turned himself into that horrible copy of Tsunade and started parading around right when she walked in?"

She grinned, "I can't believe I forgot about that! He spent a week in the hospital after she was through with him. He never walked quite right after that though."

Naruto looked over at the pink haired girl beside him, illuminated by the bits of moonlight that escaped through the cloudy heavens and fell to the earth. "You're smiling."

She looked at him confused, "Yeah I am, so what? I smile all the time."

"No I mean…you're actually smiling, for real this time."

A knot formed in Sakura's throat, "Sasuke says that Uchiha women should always smile…so others won't think they're unhappy. Uchiha women should be proud."

"I see…I always thought people should smile because they're happy…"

Sakura shook her head, "No it's not like that…its just that I…"

"Smile the biggest when it hurts the most…" Naruto interrupted

Sakura choked and looked away, "…yeah, exactly…"

Suddenly she felt painfully aware of the lies she had been forced to live. All she did was smile and pretend that she was happy. She would lie to Sasuke and tell him she was happy, she would lie to others and tell them she was happy. Worst of all she lied to herself, lied so much that she started to believe it. She would wake up in the morning and practice smiling in the mirror, practice telling herself how overjoyed she was with her life.

No. She wasn't happy. She didn't want jewels or an expensive house. She didn't want high social status and respect from other nobles. She didn't want a husband she rarely spoke to and only showed affection in public and in the form of sex.

She wanted a small apartment, cozy and comfortable. She wanted normal food, not expensive delicacies that never left her satisfied. She wanted to smile solely because she was happy. She wanted a husband who was a lover and a friend. Someone she could talk to whenever she wanted, someone who knew her inside and out. She wanted someone who would protect her yet still believe in her. She wanted someone to laugh and joke with her, and think about old memories while eagerly wishing to make new ones. Someone who she could smile at and he would smile back, not because it as expected of him, but because he was happy to be there with her. Happy with who she was, nothing more and nothing less. She wanted someone like…

"Naruto" she whispered, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"Yes Sakura?" he answered softly.

Even the way he said her name…hearing it felt like the first breath of air after nearly drowning in a ocean of lies. "Do you ever think about…us? Like…before?"

Naruto grew very silent, even the sound of his breath was lost to the sound of the falling rain. A seeming eternity passed before his voice broke the silence. "There was Team 7 until Sasuke left, then we were Team Kakashi when Sai joined us. Once I brought Sasuke back, you two ran off together and I didn't hear from you since. That was 2 years ago, there was never an 'us'."

Sakura pulled her knees to her chest like a small child, lightly biting her knee. There was another pause. "That's not what I meant." No response. "Do you ever think about…what it would been like…just you and me."

Naruto felt sick. How could this be happening now? How could she be asking him this after all this time, now that he and Hinata…It wasn't fair, why him? Two years ago it would have been an easy question. Two years ago his heart would be pumping in joy, jumping at the chance to tell her everything…

"Do you want the proper answer or the truth?" he blurted out

She shook her head again, trying to shake the tears forming in her eyes, "I'm tired of being proper, I want the truth, hold nothing back, don't sugarcoat anything, tell me everything, I need to know now."

Naruto sighed, trying to force the words up his throat and past his lips. He took a deep breath and paused, "Not a day goes by that I think about what we could have been. Not a day goes by that I ask myself if the worst decision I've ever made was to bring Sasuke back. Every day I tear myself apart because I feel selfish for wanting you more than your happiness. Every time I ask myself about 'us' I'm afraid the answer might be 'happy' because the pain might be too much to bear. Every night as I lay in bed, I wonder if I would sleep better at your side and smile in the morning as I wake up to your face next to mine."

Sakura didn't bother holding back the tears as they flowed freely down her face. She turned and looked at those blue eyes, "This week with you…This is the happiest I've been in over two years, spending this time with you."

Too cruel. Naruto looked away uncomfortably; he couldn't face those eyes, not tonight, not now. "I should get back to my post. Sasuke will be back tomorrow and…"

"Your job is to protect me, isn't it?"

"…Yes."

She grabbed his head and turned it towards her, their eyes meeting with such ferocity that neither could bear to look away from the other. "Then stay here with me tonight and let me be honest for once in my life."

There was silence that even the rain seemed to slip into. Sakura's hands on Naruto's face, two childhood friends looking into each other's eyes, unable to move or blink. And then Sakura's hands slipped around Naruto's neck as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her against him; their lips and bodies slipping together for the first time.


	9. Author's Notes An Apology

Authors Notes:

Well, for those of you who still follow my alerts, I owe you an apology. I know it's been a very long time since I've updated. Quite honestly I was just focused on other things, and fanfiction was not at the top of my list. Though due to recent events, I'm planning on starting up again, but I'll talk about that in a bit.

Something very influential just happened in my life, and it quite literally has changed everything I had planned for the future. I had been dating a girl for the past 4 years, I believed we were very much in love, and was in the process of looking for engagement rings to ask her to marry me. For a few weeks, we had been fighting, just the usual small stuff that happens from time to time. I went on vacation to London for 10 days, and about half way though my trip I was talking to her online, and she dumped me. Needless to say I was in shocked, and the remainder of my vacation was essentially ruined.

Soon after I returned back to the states, she went to visit a friend in Washington for a couple days. When she came back, her and I were talking about getting back together and she said something along the lines of "I just need to spend some time alone, then we can talk about getting back together. So I graciously accepted, willing to wait for the woman I wanted to marry.

3 days later she was in a long distance relationship with the friend she just visited.

She has made it quite clear, that she is never going to get back with me. Now I'm not sure how many of you are aware, but my story "Garden's of Rain" is closely based off of how my ex-girlfriend and I met, dated, and fell in love with one another. This story, Symphony Paradise, is the kind of life that I planned to have after marriage with her. Obviously, since that dream has been so swiftly ripped away from me, it is a very sensitive subject, and quite honestly I'm not in the right mindset to write about a happily married couple right now. So I apologize, but I think you can understand, that I am putting this story on further hiatus, simply because I'm not in the mood to continue a story about what I can't have right now.

As for getting back into writing, I am considering writing another NaruSaku fanfic, a bit darker than what you're used to from me (And no, its not the one from that awful preview I wrote a while back). I'm not sure when I'll get started on it, because I am a college student and I have a pretty tough course load this semester. Nonetheless I would like to get started asap, so look forward to that much at least.

Once again I want to apologize for not updating in so long, and for putting this story on hold for a while. I don't want to spoil it with my bitter attitude, so I hope you understand.

Take care,

Leowen


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